The Brightest Star in the North
by storm173
Summary: DMTNT Spoilers! Pirates AU in which Margaret "Mary" Smyth joined the crew of the Black Pearl two years prior to the events of the 'Curse of the Black Pearl'. Mary is determined to help Barbossa break the curse, but when things don't go to plan, she finds herself in the middle of an chaotic adventure that doesn't make her romantic relationship to Capt. Barbossa any less complicated
1. The Pirate That Should Not Be

**Author's Note: It's been a while, but I started writing fanfiction again. While all my previous works were Downton/Chelsie related, this one is a bit of an adventure with me diving into Pirates of the Caribbean. Dead Men Tale no Tales turned me into complete Barbossa trash all over again, so I started this project. It's an AU in which Margaret Smyth is part of the story from the start of the first movie and involved in all events that followed. I refer to her mostly as Mary, because it's short. Not the typical nickname for Margaret, I know, but I can hardly call her Maggie (thanks to the last name) and I don't really like the other usual options. PotC doesn't have the clearest of timelines, but with PotC 4 set in 1750 and PotC set about five years later, this story begins in 1730 with the Curse of the Black Pearl. Since there is hardly any information given about Margaret, I can only write her in a rather OC style. In any case, I hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

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Chapter 1

The Pirate That Should Not Be

 _The British Navy and their cursed drums_ , Mary thought as the soldiers hammered away on the instruments, the drum roll almost mocking her as the executioner put the rope around her neck. Aye, a hanging was as good an entertainment if not a better one than the theatre, but she believed it to be hardly necessary to add music to the spectacle. What was it they wanted to achieve? Raise the tension? Add more drama? She for one was tense enough at the prospect of being hanged and the idea of having to jiggle to the British Navy's amusement in front of an angry mob chanting _pirate_ seemed quite enough drama as well.

"Aren't you going to bind my hands?", she asked the bull of an executioner who had his face covered with a ridiculous leather mask. It was probably meant to make him scarier in appearance, but she found that the scary part about this execution wasn't the executioner, but the fact that the gallows had a date with her on this sunny afternoon.

"You're going to dance more enthusiastically with your hands free", the executioner explained with a sadistic grin that send a shiver down her spine.

"How kind – I like myself a proper dance", Mary replied, not willing to give up the roguish arrogance she should have as a proper pirate. Had she known two years ago that saving her own neck by joining a pirate crew would lead to this massive amount of trouble, she might have chosen differently. But given that her mind had been quite distracted by the sight of undead skeleton pirates, she couldn't really find it in her to blame her past self for being in this situation.

The cursed crew of the Black Pearl had spared her in exchange for her help to lift their curse. As it were, a mortal pirate was quite useful at collecting pieces of Aztec gold undetected. Not that the crew couldn't have gotten the gold back themselves, after all, they couldn't die and tended to march in carelessly everywhere, taking what they wanted, but that seemed to be the problem. They had become careless and that wouldn't do them any good once the curse was lifted. Captain Barbossa wouldn't want to see his crew forget entirely what it meant to live and Mary helped him remind them. Whenever she ate or drank as she had to, the crew would stare her to the ground in lust. Before she had understood the curse properly, she had thought of it as sexual lust, but soon she came to realise that they had become desperate for food and drink more than anything else. So she reminded them of the simple pleasures. An uncomfortable task, but a cheap price for her life. And after a few odd adventures and successful missions to retrieve their cursed gold, she had even earned herself a place amongst them. Therefore it shouldn't have surprised Mary all too much when they crashed her execution.

"That be our comrade yer tryin' to hang there, mate", Captain Barbossa shouted from across the market place where he stood on a barrel to be sure of everyone's attention, surrounded by most of his crew that had their weapons ready and bloodthirsty grins on their faces.

"Who are you?", one of the higher ranking soldiers demanded to know. He could have been a lieutenant, but Mary's knowledge of ranks and uniforms of the navy had rusted a bit.

"I'd be the Captain of that pirate there and I'd like him back!", he replied, drawing his fancy flintlock pistol and blowing a hole into the soldier's chest. "Let's take back what is ours, lads!", he ordered and all hell broke loose. The angry mob wasn't so much angry anymore, but began to run around in panic while the soldiers were overwhelmed by the undead pirates. Now all Mary could do was wait until they reached the gallows and cut her free, but the executioner didn't seem to be the patient type. "I'll be having my boots today!", he grumbled angrily and pulled the lever. Her eyes widened in shock as the ground underneath her feet opened up and she fell. Luckily for her, the fall wasn't deep and spared her neck. With her free hands she grabbed the rope that began to cut into her flesh and tried to pull at it, in an attempt to loosen its deadly grip on her. It got harder to breathe and then someone grabbed her legs and she found herself standing on her Captain's shoulders, his hands on her shins to steady her. "I know I'm a bad dancer, but that ye would choose the gallows for a partner over me", he joked, looking up at her with a grin, revealing the odd mix of brown, silver and golden teeth.

"Not funny", Mary gasped, still pulling at the rope.

"Proper rope, that one, aye?", he asked.

"What else would it be?" She felt him shrug, almost losing her balance on his shoulders. "I'll be needing my neck, Capt'n", she scolded.

"I'll be needin' me hands", he replied.

"What fo…? Oh", she said, spotting three approaching soldiers with drawn swords. Before she could even think the word _parlay_ , she found herself hanging once again with Barbossa fighting off the Redcoats. This time it felt worse, as if her neck had been softened up earlier and was now easier to crush for the rope. "Captain!", she shouted, using her last remaining strength to get the word out. Barbossa kicked one soldier between the legs, sending him to the ground with a pathetic whimper, smashing his fist into a second one's face and pulling his gun, pointing it at the rope. But he had already used his bullet on the lieutenant and therefore the weapon didn't fire. Mary heard him curse under his breath, her vision slowly blurring due to the lack of air. The process of reloading seemed to take an eternity, although Barbossa's hands were fast and skilled. Once again he pointed the gun at the rope, but was distracted by a sword being slammed through him. The impact of the blade forced him to take a step forward. Ignoring it, he shot. Mary felt the bullet fly through the rope, weakening it enough to not be able to hold her weight any longer and finally rip, giving her free as she fell to the ground. She coughed, her throat hurting as she took deep breaths. Mary looked up at her Captain who was looking back at her concerned, still ignoring the blade sticking through him. Or maybe he had forgotten it was there. The soldier had been staring at Barbossa in disbelief, blinking a few times as if to make sure that he was indeed seeing a man standing upright despite a sword cutting through him. Then he looked at Mary, as she got up. His eyes widened even more. "The pirate's a woman!", he exclaimed, reminding Barbossa of his presence who stepped away from him so that the blade slid back out. "My turn", the pirate announced, stabbing the soldier. "Let's get back to the ship", he said.

"Not so fast", Mary replied, picking up a sword. "Two things I still have to do."

He rolled his ocean blue eyes at her. "Fine then." She walked back up the steps of the gallows, finding Pintel and Ragetti dueling the executioner who had a massive axe that seemed to impress them despite their cursed state. "You have something that belongs to us", Mary told him. "We'd like it back."

"Filthy pirates! You will all hang!"

"Would be the longest dance in the history of hanging with that lot", she commented. "Give it back or do I have to come and take it?"

"You're a pirate and a woman", he said, as if these two facts were putting him at an advantage.

"Whatever you say", she shrugged, taking Pintel's pistol.

"That's cheating!", the executioner exclaimed.

Mary gave him a triumphant smile. "Pirate!" _Bang_. He dropped to the floor, dead. Ragetti searched him, finding the piece of Aztec gold in the executioner's pocket.

Back on the ship, Mary sat in the pity excuse of a caboose that served no purpose anymore with a crew that had no need for food. She was the only reason it hadn't been neglected entirely. The nasty cut and bruise around her neck required some sort of medical attention. A wet cloth soothed the throbbing pain, allowing her to lean back and relax for a moment. "Would ye care to explain why we had to rescue ye today?" She opened her eyes, looking at her Captain who had a displeased look on his face and had his arms crossed over his chest. "The executioner caught me when I broke into his house to get the gold and didn't take him much to figure out that I'm a pirate."

"Doesn't usually happen to ye."

"No, which is why you send me."

"Aye, but ye weren't supposed to get caught!"

"I know. I've learned my lesson", she snapped, revealing her injured neck and throat.

Barbossa sighed and sat down next to her, taking the cloth from her hands to carefully wash the dried blood away.

"You would have died today if it weren't for the curse", she said.

"I wouldn't have wasted me bullet if I weren't cursed."

"But you would have risked your life and crew saving one pirate's neck?"

"Yer not any pirate", he replied. She was silent at that, until he moved his hand and his nails scratched her neck painfully. "Ah!", she exclaimed, shifting away from him. He held his hands up apologetically. "I don't feel anythin'."

"I know, but I do. You have sharp nails", she explained, taking the cloth from him and tending to her wound herself.

He eyed his nails for a moment, before he shrugged and leaned back, watching Mary.

"You know, for someone who doesn't feel, you seem to have an impressive amount of emotions", she said pensively.

He sneered. "I know how I should feel and act accordingly." He leaned closer. "I know I care about ye."

"And you act accordingly."

"Aye." He took her hand. "Warm or cold?", he asked.

"My hands are warm." She watched him smile sadly as he guided her hand to his chest where he placed it above his silent heart. "Warm or cold?", he asked again, this time meaning himself.

"Cool", she replied.

"Like a dead man", he added bitterly.

Shaking her head, Mary raised her other hand to rest against his rough cheek. "Cool like someone who needs to be saved from floating in the depths of the ocean for too long."

He studied her for a moment. "I'm plannin' on havin' dinner with ye once the curse is lifted."

"Dinner meaning a bunch of green apples", she teased.

"Aye."

"Nothing else?", she asked, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Only what ye consent to", he replied meaningfully.

She leaned in and dropped a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth, feeling her heart sink at his sad smile at not being able to feel her warmth. "How many pieces are missing?", she asked with an increased determination to break the curse.

"Just one", he replied.

"Any idea where it is?"

"It's calling to us. Port Royal." He leaned his forehead against hers. "I'll be sendin' the lads in."

"Then you will be having that dinner with me", she said happily.

"Perhaps", he said, more to himself than to her.

She frowned. "You're not making sense to me now, Captain."

"Blood must be repaid", he said.

"And you did repay it."

"I never told ye about Bootstrap, Bill Turner."

Mary leaned back, crossing her arms in front of her chest and raising one eyebrow questioningly. She had a feeling she wouldn't like what he was about to tell her. And she was right. "Have you never tried to walk to the bottom of the ocean and get him back up?", she shouted.

"Of course we have. But he was gone."

"Brilliant", she muttered through gritted teeth. "That's just brilliant. I've risked my life now for two years, trying to help you break the curse - for the longer part of that time, because I care about you. I care about you more than I probably should. And now - NOW! -, after two bloody years, you tell me it was all for nothing if we can't find Turner's blood." She was panting after this emotional outbreak.

"Yer behaving like yer cursed. I'm the one doomed if I can't find Turner or his child."

"I may not be cursed to be undead, Captain Barbossa, but cursed to love a man who thinks he cares about me, unable to tell if it's true, 'cause he can't bloody feel." Hot tears were stinging in her eyes, her hands were shaking in fury. She made a sound that could have passed for a growl and marched towards the door.

"Where are ye goin'?", Barbossa demanded to know.

"I need sleep", she spat, smashing the door behind her, almost running the length of the ship to the small corner where she had her hammock. She slept fine, thanks to her exhaustion.

A few hours later she began to wake, blinking sleepily, identifying the full moon as the one disturbing her sleep. Her vision still blurry and her mind still mostly asleep, Mary turned her head, her gaze falling upon a figure. It was a skeleton and for a moment she didn't remember the curse and jolted upwards, one hand searching for her sword, not finding it. Instead, she had caused the hammock to swing wildly and lost her balance, falling out of it and crashing onto the floor. "Bloody hell", she muttered under her breath, rubbing the back of her head.

"Need a hand?", Barbossa asked, offering a skeleton hand to her.

Mary glared at him, ignoring the hand and getting up on her own. "Am I not angry enough with you already?"

"Wanted to let ye know that we'll be arrivin' in Port Royal soon", he said coldly.

"All hands on deck, I assume?"

"Aye", he replied. She grabbed her sword and made way for the stairs.

"Margaret", Barbossa called after her, making her stop dead in her tracks. He had only said her name once before now. Then she had been drowning, thrown overboard by a raging storm. He had jumped after her, getting her out and while she had been coughing up what felt like half the ocean, he had been holding her protectively, whispering in her ear. _You'll be all right, Margaret. I'm here. I'll look after you_. She turned to face him. He walked over to her, his walk less arrogant and confident than usual. "I'm sorry", he said and he meant it. She lowered her gaze, taking a steadying breath. Her eyes found his. "We'll lift this curse, together", she whispered, surprised when he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Margaret", he breathed into her ear.

"What for?", she whispered back.

"Just thank you", he repeated and let go of her. She understood what he was trying to say. He was trying to say that he loved her, because he knew it to be true, curse or no curse. "After you, Captain", she said, following him on deck where he stood next to the helm, using his spyglass to make out Port Royal in the distance. Fog moved in with the Pearl that moved silently through the waves like a ghost ship with all guns loaded and ready to fire.


	2. Welcome Aboard the Black Pearl

**Author's Note: Thanks to all of you for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing this story! It means a lot. I also apologise for the delay - University got a little in the way and I managed to get distracted with further chapter planning, instead of doing the final edit on this chapter. There is some movie dialogue ahead (which will likely be the case for most coming chapters) - I changed it a tiny bit, mostly adding lines that didn't make it into the movie, but according to the scripts I found online were meant to be in there.**

 **Since I cannot reply to guest reviews directly, I will do so here shortly: Thank you for your kind comments! As for the timeline: I know that the cast of DMTNT have commented that Carina was born before the first movie, but AU or not, I believe that wouldn't make any sense as she would be 40 sth. by the time DMTNT kicks off. She is Henry's age who was certainly born shortly after the third movie which took place roughly 20 years before DMTNT. A more detailed discussion on the timeline issue can be found on my tumblr (storm173) if you're interested.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are appreciated! :)**

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Chapter 2

Welcome Aboard the Black Pearl

The fog and smoke began to clear, revealing the returning longboats. Mary frowned when she spotted a young woman sitting between Pintel and Ragetti. She looked worried, but not scared which was odd given that she was surrounded by pirates and heading for their ship where more pirates were awaiting her. Mary was curious why the two pirates would bring that woman to the Pearl, but she also knew that these two had a reputation for being idiots. Bo'sun, the first mate, wasn't too happy about seeing the woman come aboard either way. "I didn't know we was takin' on captives", he growled angrily.

"She's invoked the right of parlay with Captain Barbossa", Pintel explained, being pushed aside by the woman. "I am here to...", she began, but a brutal slap across her face silenced her. "You'll speak when spoken to", he bellowed, his arm being grabbed firmly only a moment later.

"And ye will not lay a hand on those under the protection of parlay!", Barbossa warned, having emerged from the gathered crew, the monkey on his shoulder.

"Aye, sir", Bo'sun said, lacking respect in his tone for Mary's liking, but she remained in the shadows, watching the scene before her play out further. Bo'sun freed his hand from the Captain's grab, stepping aside. Barbossa turned to the woman and smiled his arrogant smile. "My apologies, miss. As ye were saying, before ye were so rudely interrupted?"

The woman swallowed, finally showing some fear, yet stepping forward to face Barbossa. "Captain Barbossa ... I have come to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal."

Mary raised her eyebrows at that. It had been a while since she had heard such fancy talk from anyone but the Captain. The fire of the lamps was dancing in Barbossa's eyes, making it look like they twinkled with amusement. And Mary knew that he probably was amused in a way, but it wouldn't have been possible for his eyes to display such a simple feeling. "There's a lot of long words there. We're not but humble pirates. What is it you want?", he replied. The woman seemed irritated that he claimed to not have understood her, but she didn't know him like Mary did and wasn't able to tell that he was teasing her. Her eyes began to glare in bold anger. "I want you to leave. And never come back." Her demand drew laughter from the pirates and a smirk from Barbossa. "I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request", he replied and added helpfully: "Means 'No.'"

She stared back at him coldly, removed something from her clothes and walked to the rail, holding the piece of gold above the water where it shone in the light of the still firing cannons. "Very well. I'll drop it", she warned them. The crew went silent and Mary smiled to herself, impressed at the young woman's courage. "Me holds are burstin' with swag. That bit of shine matters to us...", Barbossa told her, hardly bothered. "Why?", he challenged, his tone more aggressive.

She was taken aback by his reaction, but didn't lose her confidence. "It's what you've been searching for. I recognize this ship. I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England", she explained, making things a little more interesting. "Did you now?", he wondered, suspecting something.

She seemed to lose patience, for she arrogantly raised one eyebrow. "Fine. I suppose if it is worthless, there's no pint in me keeping it." She let the chain slide, only catching it when Barbossa made an alarmed step forward. "No!"

Mary rolled her eyes. _Let her drop it. You won't have any issue getting it back_ , she thought, having had enough of this interaction as neither side was getting anywhere. Then she frowned, wondering if Barbossa was still teasing. He seemed tense, too tense. What was the matter with him? Elizabeth smiled contently at the Captain's reaction who was regaining control over himself. He closed the distance to her, sniggering roughly. "You have a name, missy?", he asked.

"Elizabeth… Turner", she replied and Mary's curiosity had returned. She watched Barbossa turn to the crew, a knowing, almost triumphant look on his face. Some members of the crew uttered Bootstraps name. "I'm a maid in the governor's household." Barbossa didn't care too much for the last bit of information, but grinned at her. "Miss Turner…" He crossed his arms, leaning his head to one side, eyeing her intrigued. "You've got sand, for a maid."

"Thank you?", she replied questioningly.

"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that? Family heirloom, perhaps?", he suggested.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean", she said, appearing offended.

Mary wasn't sure if she believed her or if Barbossa did for that matter, but he seemed to have come to a decision. "Very well. Ye hand that over, we'll put yer town to our rudder and never return", he said, leaving no room for further debate as he held his hand to her expectantly.

"Can I trust you?", she asked and made Mary roll her eyes again. _What a stupid thing to ask a pirate._ Yet she had asked herself the very same question once and been surprised by the answer.

"It's you who invoked the parlay! Believe me, Miss, you'd best hand it over, now ... or these be the last friendly words you'll hear!", he said, losing patience. She hesitated another moment and then finally gave up the golden medallion. Barbossa handed it over to his monkey immediately. "Our bargain?", she asked, watching the monkey climb away and disappearing in the rigging. While walking away, Barbossa gave Bo'sun a nod. "Still the guns, and stow 'em! Signal the men, set the flags, and make good to clear port!", he ordered, getting the crew to scatter on deck. Elizabeth was left behind at the rail, looking lost for a moment, before she hurried after Barbossa. "Wait! You must return me to shore! According to the rules of the Order of the Brethen…", she said, panic growing. Barbossa turned on his heel, almost causing her to walk right into him.

"First, yer return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, and so I must do nothin'. Secondly, ye must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply - and yer not. And thirdly ... the code is more what ye'd call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!" She was looking at him in terror as Pintel and Ragetti grabbed her, pulling her under deck, locking her into a small cabin where she would stay for the moment being.

Barbossa marched into his cabin while the ship turned on Port Royal, soon out of sight. "That was easy", Mary commented, leaning in the doorway and looking at Barbossa who was brooding over a map.

"Ye won't hear me complainin' about somethin' bein' easy for once", he said.

"Didn't ask you to. What are you brooding about? Can't be the map. You know the way", she wondered.

"What if her blood doesn't work?"

"I don't follow", she admitted.

"She's only half a Turner."

Mary hadn't considered that before. "Only one way to find out", she told him.

"Aye", he agreed, obviously annoyed about the situation.

"She's a lot like me, don't you think?", she asked, getting a frown from the Captain. "Stubborn, clever, pretty and a tongue that could get her into serious trouble", she elaborated.

"If ye see it that way, aye, yer alike", he agreed. "But yer part of me crew while she is a hostage. Makes ye two very different."

"I used to be scared of you, maybe even more so than she is, you know", she pointed out.

"Ye have no reason to be scared of me", he let her know and added with a smirk. "Not anymore."

"For most part, no", she agreed. "But there's a curse messing with you."

"What are ye tryin' to say?"

"You seemed…, well, you were tense earlier, when you saw the last piece in her hands."

He raised his eyebrows. "Aye, I'm not havin' anythin' go wrong now."

"If that's all…" The monkey jumped onto her shoulder, interrupting the conversation as he made his way to Barbossa. "Respect me, don't fear me", he told her, scratching the monkey's head.

"Aye", she agreed. "I'll be on deck." She could feel his gaze in her neck and turned once again. "Don't forget to feed our guest", she said, heading back outside. The air was cool and a refreshing breeze ruffled through her hair. Bo'sun was at the helm, acknowledging Mary's presence with an evil looking squint of his eyes. He had never been particularly fond of her. That she was a woman was surely part of the problem, but not all there was to it. As far as she knew his relationship to the Captain had suffered over the years. Bo'sun blamed Barbossa for the curse and his loyalty depended on successfully breaking the curse. When Barbossa began to trust Mary, Bo'sun had seen her as a threat to breaking the curse, having no faith in her helpfulness. While she proved him wrong, he had calmed, but he remained suspicious and was the one member of the crew she knew would kill her in an instant given the tiniest reason to do so.

Mary watched Mallott and Grapple arguing over what and how much food to prepare for the prisoner's dinner. She would have offered her help, but wasn't in the mood to discuss cooking. They would come to an agreement without her.

Later that night, Barbossa stepped out of his cabin, carrying a red dress Mary knew all too well. It had been hers and she had never liked it much. Not because it was an ugly dress, but because she was uncomfortable in these kind of clothes. She preferred pants and shirts. But of course she hadn't been allowed to wear such things before she had become a pirate. Her father had been a merchant, leaving her in England at a young age and when he had sent for her to join him in the colonies, the ship had crossed ways with the Black Pearl. One of the passengers had owned three pieces of the gold, calling the undead crew. They had overwhelmed the merchant's ship at night, changing from human to skeleton in the moonlight. Upon surrendering, Mary had suspected that they wouldn't leave anyone alive. "I want to join your crew!", she had shouted in a moment of madness. The pirates had laughed at her, including Barbossa. "I'll not be hirin' at the moment and certainly not a young girl like yerself", he had said.

"I don't see a cabin boy amongst you. I can clean and cook. I'll clean the whole ship on my own if I have to", she had babbled away.

"The whole ship?", Barbossa had repeated, pretending to be impressed.

"I can even fight!", she had assured him and it hadn't been a lie. She had bribed one of the guards back in Bristol to teach her. He had agreed only to get up her skirts as she had found out later, but by the time he tried to take advantage of her, Mary had already learned enough about swords to keep him away from her.

"You can fight?", Barbossa had asked, not convinced, but willing to test her. "Fine then. Ye can join us if ye manage to win a duel against one of us."

Mary had wanted to ask if she could trust his word, but that had mattered little at the time. She had taken off the dress in preparation, knowing she could move better in nothing but her underdress. The pirates had whistled approvingly and in a second moment of madness, she had thrown Barbossa her dress which he had caught with raised eyebrows. He had handed it over to Pintel and taken the pirate's sword in return, holding it to her. Mary had grabbed it, knowing her life depended on it. Barbossa had chosen Jacoby to fight her, the crew's mad man with too much love of explosives. And she had won her duel. Jacoby had beaten her up pretty badly, but her will to live had given her strength. With Jacoby on the floor, knocked out by a blow to his head, Mary had been standing before Barbossa, bleeding out of several scratches, expecting his judgement. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, pirate", he had said. He was a man of his word. That was the first thing Mary had learned about Captain Barbossa.

Now he was giving the dress to Pintel and Ragetti, ordering them to invite Elizabeth to dine with him. They hurried away and he turned around, looking up to meet Mary's gaze. The both of them had come a long way since that night over two years ago and he seemed to have just reflected on that like she had. He came up the stairs, joining her. "It's late. Get some rest", he said.

"Aye, Capt'n."

...

Mary was woken by screams. High pitched screams released in panic. She stormed on deck, finding herself surrounded by skeletons and spotted Elizabeth who tried to flee back into the Captain's cabin, but ran straight into Barbossa's arms who grabbed her and forced her to face the crew. "Look! The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the livin' and so we cannot die. But neither are we dead." He turned her to face him, a look of suffering on his face. "For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starvin' to death and haven't died. I feel nothin'. Not the wind on my face, nor the spray of the sea...nor the warmth of a woman's flesh." He was reaching for her, his hand turning in the moonlight. "You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one!" Mary didn't like seeing him all rotten and lowered her gaze. He pulled a bottle of wine, opening it with his mouth and tried to drink it. The liquid went everywhere, dripping through his bones and onto the deck, forming a puddle. Elizabeth ran past him in panic. Barbossa threw the bottle against the wooden door, the glass breaking. He closed it behind her, laughing as he turned to the crew who joined in. "What are ye lookin' at? Back to work!", he told them then and they dispatched, revealing Mary. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest and was judging him. "Oh come on, just havin' a bit of fun", he chuckled.

"She didn't deserve that."

"She didn't believe we were cursed _and_ stabbed me", he argued.

"Stabbed you? Then maybe she _did_ deserve it." She looked past him, wondering what Elizabeth was up to. "Want me to calm her nerves a bit? Or do you want her to rot in your cabin for the next few days?"

"Ye don't have to keep her company", he said kindly.

"I don't mind."

"Then be my guest", he announced, opening the door for her. Mary walked past him, trying to do normally, but tensing unwillingly at being so close to his skeleton form. He noticed, but chose not to mention it.

Elizabeth was hiding in a corner near the window. "Get out, filthy pirate!", she shouted, fear evident in her voice.

"Pirate, yes", Mary said and stepped into the moonlight. "Filthy, not so much."

"You're not cursed?", she asked dumbfounded and then added even more shocked: "You're a woman!"

"No, I only joined two years ago. They have been cursed for ten now. And yes, I am a woman." She sat down at the table, keeping a respectful distance. "You must forgive them. They are not quite right in the head anymore, even for pirates."

"You joined a cursed crew!", Elizabeth said in disbelief.

"You mean that makes _me_ not quite right in the head?", Mary asked. "It saved my life."

"How? How did you do it?", Elizabeth asked, standing up, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Fought my way in. And they are not so bad once they accept you. Especially the Captain."

"They are pirates!"

"Cursed pirates. And if Captain Barbossa can be kind cursed, I believe he has a lot more potential as a proper human. Pirate or not", Mary explained.

"You care for him", Elizabeth realised.

"Aye, that be true. And I want to break the curse before it drives him mad."

"And what will happen to me? He wants my blood."

"You would be surprised how much blood one human can spare without dying. You should live", Mary assured her. "Just don't cause them any trouble."

Elizabeth bit her lower lip. "Already did that."

"Ah, yes, you stabbed the Captain. Fortunately, he is not unforgiving. Well, he is, usually, but he's making an exception for you." They sat in silence for a while and Mary grabbed the wine, sipping at it. "Did you steal your clothes?", Elizabeth asked then.

Mary swallowed a large gulp of wine, a little offended. "Would they fit so well if they were stolen?", she asked.

"You've got taste", Elizabeth complimented her.

"Thanks", she said, taking more wine. Elizabeth wasn't wrong. Mary was a bit like Barbossa when it came to dressing: Roguish, pretense-fancy, arrogant. Black boots and breeches, a white shirt, a dark blue waistcoat with silver buttons and decorations and a grey blue jacket that looked similar to the Captain's, but was shorter. A black leather belt held her pants and sword in place while a dark red silk cloth was winding itself around her waist, holding her pistol. The only piece of jewelry on her was a silver ring on the middle finger of her right hand that was broader at the front like a signet ring, showing a skull surrounded by waves. It had been a gift by no other than Barbossa. And therefore was Mary's most cherished possession.

"When will we be… _there_?", Elizabeth asked.

"Two days", she replied, taking one of the apples. Barbossa always had a bunch of green ones in his cabin. Most of the time they would eventually rot as Mary didn't like them too much and no one else could eat them. They were too sour, but just now she felt like having one. It made a delicious crunch when her teeth sank into the fruit. "Do you think you'll manage that long?"

"Thanks to the rather unexpected company you're offering, I think I will be fine."

Mary smirked. "That's the spirit."

"Why does he have that wretched monkey?", she asked.

Mary laughed. "Jack? He's clever. The Captain values cleverness."

"The monkey is called Jack?", Elizabeth said with raised eyebrows. "Named after someone?"

"Plenty of people that are called Jack. Don't know if any of them inspired the monkey's name." Mary had almost finished the apple when Elizabeth got up and wandered around the cabin. There was plenty of room to explore. She watched how the maid ran a finger over the dusty duvet on the bed. "Not been used in a while", she stated.

"You're not a maid here", Mary teased.

Elizabeth ignored her, having found a pile of documents lying on a small dresser. She took a piece of paper and eyed it for a moment. She turned to Mary and held it to her. It was a wanted poster of Barbossa. The drawing was incorrect to say the least, but they had gotten the hat right. They offered 10.000 guineas for his capture or death. "Famous pirates tend to get their personal wanted posters."

"His name is _Hector_ Barbossa. _Hector_?", Elizabeth said, trying not to laugh.

Mary grinned. "I know, unusual name for a pirate. But never stopped him."

"How do you come to know his name? Did he introduce himself?"

Now Mary laughed. "Found the poster, same as you."

"What's your name by the way?", Elizabeth asked, putting the poster back to its place.

"Margaret Smyth", Mary introduced herself. "Call me Mary."


	3. Barbossa Is Hungry

Chapter 3

Barbossa Is Hungry

 _Spring 1728_

Mary's hands were covered in blisters and cuts, bleeding almost constantly. She hardly felt the pain anymore. For weeks she had been forced to scrub the ship from top to bottom, getting too little food and too little sleep. Mary was sure the pirates tried to kill her off that way, get rid of her and they were close to achieving that. Exhaustion had gotten a hold of her, a grip that tightened with every passing day. But she hadn't given herself up yet. She was still willing to fight, to gain a place on board the Pearl and live.

Like every night she dragged herself to her hammock, holding onto the wooden walls of the ship to stay on her feet. Blood was dripping off of her right hand, several splinters digging into her flesh. She was breathing heavily by the time she got sight of her corner and froze when she spotted the Captain in her hammock. He was wearing nothing but his boots, breeches and shirt that was wide open and revealing his tanned chest. It was quite odd to see him like that, especially since he wasn't wearing his hat, only the bandana. He was holding a book, looking up when Mary approached. She did her best to stand straight and breathe calmly. "Good evening, Captain", she greeted him, her voice shaking.

He eyed her for a moment and then got up. He was a little smaller without his hat and his shoulders weren't as broad without the coat, yet he was quite intimidating. "I'm tryin' to make sense of ye", he told her, his voice kinder than usual.

Mary was focused on not collapsing and her mind worked frustratingly slow. "I don't understand", she managed to get out.

"Ye do a lot to save yer neck."

She swallowed, her throat dry. "I want to live."

"I have to say, ye manage to impress me. Yer a wreck, yet here ye stand." He looked her up and down. "Ye might be a useful addition to me crew."

"You flatter me", Mary replied sarcastically, but then a wave of sickness washed over her, making her dizzy. She was sure to fall, but a strong arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady. "Ye need to rest", the Captain told her, gently pushing her towards the hammock. She tried to climb in, but the room was spinning. She thought to hear Barbossa sigh and next thing she knew he lifted her off the floor and put her down in the hammock. She wanted to thank him, but her tongue was too numb to get the words out. And then she passed out, waking to find her hands bandaged and a blanket covering her. She raised her hands, holding her in front of her face and eyeing them with a frown.

"I'm no nurse, but they should suffice", Barbossa commented with a hint of sarcasm, leaning against the wall, watching her. Mary startled, shooting into a sitting position, unsettling the hammock that began to swing dangerously fast. "Captain!", she exclaimed and then moaned as a wave of pain crashed behind her forehead. Barbossa chuckled. "Ye really need to take things slow."

Mary closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly. "I'm a bloody pirate on a bloody pirate ship. Doesn't work with any kind of slow, does it?", she mumbled.

He laughed. "I suppose not."

"Have you been standing there the whole time?", she asked.

"Aye", he admitted and Mary thought the tip of his ears were turning red, though his face displayed no sign of embarrassment.

"Why?", Mary asked, studying his weathered face closely.

He let his gaze wander around, avoiding to look at her. After a while, Mary sighed, not expecting him to give an answer. "Anyway, thank you for the medical treatment", she said.

"Rest", he told her, making it sound like an order, the roughness back in his voice. And then he disappeared. "You're not making sense", she whispered, though no one was left to hear it.

…

Thunder, lightning, heavy rain, a wind blowing so strong Mary feared that it would tear the ship apart if the massive waves didn't crush it first. She was hanging onto a rope for dear life, trying her best to fulfil her orders and help secure the rigging, but she was exhausted. The Captain had shown her one moment of mercy, even kindness, yet the next day he had behaved like none of that had happened. The medical attention he had given her hands was useless with no time for them to heal. And now they were burned by a rough rope. A wave washed over deck, throwing her off her feet. For a moment she thought her arms would be torn off if she held onto the rope, but she refused to lose this fight with the ocean. Soaked through and even more exhausted, she gasped for air when the water had returned to its natural habitat. She blinked the water out of her eyes, trying to regain orientation. The wave had transported her to the foot of the stairs to the upper deck where Captain Barbossa was steering the ship. He had a look of determination on his face. Mary frowned as a sudden dizziness struck her and looked at her hands. They were bleeding. "Brilliant", she mumbled, turning to walk back to her post. She was stumbling across deck, seeing the wave only out of the corner of her eye. The water grabbed her firmly, taking her with it into the ocean. And she almost didn't care. For weeks she had been fighting for her live, being turned into a wreck and now she felt like dying in the depths of the sea was actually mercy, maybe even luck. She was ready to embrace death, letting her body sink towards the bottom of the ocean. But then she was grabbed by someone and pulled back to the surface and onto the ship. Coughing what felt like half the ocean out of her lungs, she collapsed onto the deck. Someone picked her up, wrapping her up in their arms and holding her securely. "Ye'll be all right, Margaret", the person whispered in her ear. "I'm here. I'll look after ye." It was the Captain's voice, less rough and much calmer than usual. Mary had been unaware that the Captain knew her name. He lifted her back on her feet and shoved her into his cabin.

The storm was still raging outside, throwing the Pearl from one side to the other, yet the Captain's cabin offered warmth and safety. Mary looked at the track of puddles she had left from the door to the middle of the room and bit her bottom lip, feeling guilty. "Sit down", Barbossa told her, gesturing to the comfortable chair at the fireplace. Mary wanted to protest, being soaked through and therefore worrying about ruining the chair, but when Barbossa began to take off his wet clothes, she turned in embarrassment and sat down, letting the fire warm her. She lost herself in the flames until Barbossa put a blanket around her shoulders, startling her. He was stripped down to his breeches and shirt which the water had made see through. Mary tried to ignore that. "Wine?", he offered, holding a glass to her. "Thank you", Mary whispered, wanting to accept the glass, but her hands were shaking uncontrollably, the salty water having made the injuries worse. Barbossa hesitated, then put the glass down and disappeared to the other side of the cabin. He returned with bandages, grabbed a chair from the table and sat down next to her, taking her hands and began to clean the wounds. "This is turnin' into a habit", he joked.

"Painful habit", Mary mumbled.

Barbossa's smile faded and he cleared his throat. "Of course, sorry."

She watched him while he finished his work that left her with bandaged hands again. "Thank you", she whispered for the second time that night.

"Are you getting warmer?", he asked, handing her the glass of wine again. She took it carefully, sipping at it. "Aye."

"Good", he commented, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms in front of his chest, stroking his beard while he watched her. "Yer quite tough."

"Thank you for saving me", she said, keeping her eyes fixed on the glass.

"Thankin' me a lot today", he pointed out, amused. "Not sure I deserve it. Been treatin' ye badly since ye joined us."

Mary bit her lip in silent agreement.

"Are ye hungry?"

She nodded, watching him as he put together a plate with fresh food for her. Finishing the wine, she gladly accepted the plate and dug in. "Well, to be fair, you did try to treat me nicely once", she pointed out with a full mouth. "Why was that?"

"I'm not sure", he answered honestly. "I might know if I weren't cursed."

Mary frowned. "What has the curse to do with that? I thought it just caused this skeleton-undead-business."

"Wouldn't necessarily call it a curse if it just made me undead", he explained, rolling his eyes along with his statement. "It causes me to feel nothin'."

"Uhm, beg your pardon?", Mary asked.

"I can't feel. Not the breeze on me face or the burning heat of the sun nor…" He stopped, gesturing towards her and back to him. Mary's face turned bright red at what he was suggesting. "I see ye understand what I'm tryin' to say."

That she did. He was attracted to her. And that took her off guard, but at the same time it intrigued her. "You are certainly full of surprises, Captain", she told him, a grin spreading across her face.

"And ye have potential to be a good pirate." He smirked. "A very good pirate."

…

 _Present Day 1730_

The Isla de Muerta emerged from the fog. It was nothing but a massive rock in the middle of nowhere, dozens of tunnels and caves hidden within. An eerie silence surrounded the place like an unspoken threat to not come closer. The crew was preparing the longboats, loading them with what they had taken on this trip. Mary stepped under deck to be alone for a moment and to gather her thoughts. The curse was as good as broken, finally. And with any luck that meant an ordinary pirate's life was about to begin for her and the crew. She looked around the small corner with her hammock and unconsciously rubbed a faint scar on the inside of her right palm, a reminder of her tougher time aboard the Pearl.

"Ye comin'?"

Mary opened her eyes, looking at Barbossa. "Aye", she breathed, giving him a gentle smile.

His gaze fell onto her hands and he frowned. "Is the scar botherin' ye again?"

"No, I'm fine", she assured him. "Let's get this done."

He took her hand and stroked her palm gently with his thumb. "Whatever happens, yer on my side, right?"

She squeezed his hand. "As long as you're on mine."

"Pirate", he accused her with a smirk that faded quickly. "Ye said I was tense that night and…"

"And there was more to it than you told me", Mary finished the sentence for him.

"Aye", he agreed. "The curse is gettin' worse. I don't know what will happen in there. And I cannot guarantee I'll be on yer side."

"I've many flaws, Captain. The one that is most likely to cost my neck? I'm loyal to a fault."

…

Mary sat behind the Captain in one of the longboats, rowing for the shore. Elizabeth was sitting next to her, unsettled, restless, scared. Mary not only understood these emotions, but shared them to some extent. Barbossa's words kept repeating in her head. She felt like she needed to prepare herself for what was to come, but that was impossible. There was no way of knowing what would happen.

She followed Barbossa inside the biggest cave that the pirates had turned into their treasury. Gold, jewels, riches beyond measure. And in its center a small rock, a stone chest on it filled with 880 pieces of Aztec gold. Barbossa walked up and made it 881, adding the piece that had almost cost Mary her neck. He waited for Elizabeth to join him. Mary stayed away from the rock, standing to its left to watch over _proceedings_. "Gentlemen, the time has come!", Barbossa shouted, getting cheers from the crew. Mary hadn't expected a speech, but maybe through his words she could keep an eye on him and his mental state. "Salvation is nigh! Our torment is nearin' an end!" He seemed to talk himself into some kind of rage. Mary was used to the pirates acting up so close to the chest, but she sensed a change of atmosphere, a heated tension rising. "For ten years we've been tested and tried and each man here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!" The crew was cheering louder with each sentence, agreeing with their Captain in a way they hardly ever had. "Punished we were, the lot of us, disproportionate to our crimes!" He breathed deeply, turning towards the chest. "Here it is!", he announced, kicking the lid off of the chest. He walked the length of it, letting his fingers run over the gold. "The cursed treasure of Cortés himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned." He grabbed a handful of coins and let them fall back demonstratively. "Save for this!", he shouted, pointing at the medallion around Elizabeth's neck. "Who among has us paid the blood sacrifice owed to the heathen gods?", he asked, getting a collective _Us!_ from the crew. "And whose blood must yet be paid?" All of the men pointed at Elizabeth, with fingers and weapons, shouting _Hers!_ Mary caught herself grabbing the handle of her sword nervously. For the first time in a long time she felt unsafe amongst the crew. "Ye know the first thing I'm goin' to do after the curse is lifted?", Barbossa asked with a devilish grin, turning to Elizabeth. "Eat a whole bushel of apples!" He grabbed Elizabeth's neck, making Mary draw her sword a few inches and get in a fighting position. There had never been any mention of cutting her throat which seemed to be what he was planning to do. She watched anxiously as he took the knife, letting the crew chant loudly, causing fear to dominate Elizabeth. "Begun by blood", Barbossa breathed. "By blood undone." He stripped the medallion from her neck and pressed it into her hand. Mary felt a bit of tension leaving her body when he just cut into Elizabeth's hand, drawing the needed blood. "That's it?", Elizabeth breathed. He smiled. "Waste not." The coin fell painfully slow, watched in silence by all present, and finally, finally fulfilled the ritual when it hid the rest of its pack. Barbossa stood with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath. Mary watched him closely, trying to see if something changed about him, anything. She was distracted when she registered movement in the corner of her eye. But when she turned her head, there was nothing. Frowning she took a step in the direction of the water. "Did it work?", Koehler asked, drawing her attention back to the crew.

"I don't feel no different", Ragetti said.

"How do we tell?", Pintel asked and was shot in the chest. Mary startled, turning to Barbossa who had his pistol out. She didn't agree with what he had just done.

"You're not dead!", Koehler exclaimed.

"No", Pintel said surprised and then turned to Barbossa. "He shot me!", he shouted offended.

"It didn't work! The curse is still upon us!", Twigg said.

Barbossa frowned and took a look at the knife that was still glistening with Elizabeth's blood. He turned to her. "You! Maid! Your father, what was his name? Was your father William Turner?", he demanded to know.

"No", she hissed. Mary let out a frustrated sigh. Had she not told the girl not to cause trouble? Barbossa was furious. "Where is his child who sailed from England eight years ago? The child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner? Where?", he screamed, grabbing Elizabeth and shaking her like that would make the answer tumble out of her. She just gave him a stubborn look, causing him to growl in anger just before he slapped her hard, knocking her out. Mary watched in shock as she rolled down the hill of treasure, crashing onto the ground at the edge of one of the massive puddles. "That was hardly necessary!", she shouted, earning herself a dangerous glare which she returned. There was something in the Captain's eyes that hadn't been there before. Mary tried to figure out what it was… Rage? Despair? Hunger? A mixture of all three that had turned into a storm, ready to destroy everything standing in its way.

"You two! You brought us the wrong person!", Bo'sun accused Pintel and Ragetti.

"No! She had the medallion. She's the proper age", Pintel defended himself in panic.

"She said her name was Turner. You heard her", Ragetti added. "I think she lied to us."

"You brought us here for nothin'", Twigg said, turning on the Captain in anger.

"I won't take questioning, not from the likes of ye, Master Twigg", Barbossa told him angrily.

"Who's to blame him? Every decision you made has led us from bad to worse!", Koehler growled.

"It was you who sent Bootstrap to the depths!", Mallott shouted, continuing the accusations.

"And it's you who brought us here in the first place!", Bo'sun added, drawing his weapon.

Barbossa drew his sword. "If any coward here dare challenge me, let him speak!"

"Enough!", Mary shouted, stepping forward, sword drawn as well. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Did you know she was the wrong person?", Bo'sun asked.

"How would I have known?", she spat.

"Spend quite some time with her, didn't you?"

"I did not know!", she growled angrily.

"Liar!", Bo'sun accused her, his blade accompanying the accusation. Mary parried and then returned the blow. The first mate was stronger than her and didn't care about fair play while fighting, less so than most other pirates. He outmaneuvered her, forcing her to give up the cover for her left side. His hand smashed across her face, sending her flying. She tasted blood and bells were ringing in her ears.

"I say we cut her throat and spill all her blood. Just in case", Koehler suggested, receiving support from the crew and stopping Bo'sun from piercing his sword through Mary's chest.

"What good will that do? She said she isn't a Turner!", Mary reminded them, spitting blood and trying to get into a sitting position, looking for her sword which she had dropped.

"She lied before!", Twigg argued.

Mary knew then that they had finally lost it. It was as if the curse sensed that it was close to being broken and did its very best to strike hardest before it was gone. "I understand that you're desperate to break the curse, but blind anger will get you nowhere!", Mary tried to talk sense into them.

"Shut up, Smyth!", Koehler spat. "You know nothin' of our curse."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Of course not." She had found her sword and picked it up.

"Maybe it's yer blood we need…", Bo'sun suggested, bloodlust burning in his eyes.

Mary growled in frustration and marched up to the chest, grabbing the knife from Barbossa and cutting into her hand, drawing blood that she let drop into the chest. "Now throw that medallion back in there and see if it worked!", she yelled, only now hearing the excited noises the monkey made.

"The medallion!", Barbossa exclaimed, having turned to where Elizabeth had passed out upon the monkey pointing there. "She's taken it. Get after her, ye feckless pack of ingrate!" He turned to Mary. "I don't need ya defending my position here!", he told her and slammed his shoulder into her when he walked past her on purpose, throwing her off balance.

Mary muttered a curse under her breath and followed. "Bastards", she whispered to herself, wiping blood from her split upper lip. She fell behind the other pirates and was rather surprised to run into one when she turned around the corner into the tunnel. He looked groggy and disoriented and she had never seen him before. Mary drew her pistol. "Who are you?"

The pirate looked at her, frowned and shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "We have a visitor!", she shouted, knowing the tunnels would carry her message to most of the crew. Soon the pirate was not just facing Mary's pistol, but apart from a few others also knives and swords. He blinked a few times and tried to get a certain word out, but his tongue seemed to stumble upon every letter, until finally he was able to shout: "Parlay! That's the one. Parlay!" He smiled triumphantly.

The crew parted to let Barbossa through who seemed both confused and angry at seeing the pirate who leaned onto an oar with a smug smile. "How the blazes did ye get off that island?", Barbossa demanded to know.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate." He made a dramatic pause. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

Mary raised her eyebrows. _The_ Jack Sparrow? She had heard stories, most of them involving the Captain mocking the EITC. But how was he involved with Barbossa?

"Ah, well, I won't be makin' that mistake _again_." He turned to his crew. "Gents, ye all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him."

"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?", Jack Sparrow wondered.

Barbossa clenched his jaw. "Hold your fire." He eyed Jack for a moment. "Ye know whose blood we need", he stated annoyed.

Jack grinned, revealing an enormous amount of golden teeth. "I know whose blood you need."

"Capt'n, sails just out of the cove. Navy by the looks of it", Mallott shouted from across the caves.

"To the Pearl! Make ready to pursue!", the Captain shouted. "And put that bastard in chains", he added, looking at Jack. Mary was right behind Barbossa as he strode much faster than she was used to towards the longboats, giving her trouble to keep up. "How do you know him?"

"None of your business", he replied.

"He knows Turner's child. And you seem to be all too familiar. Makes it my business."

Barbossa stopped and swirled around to face her, making her walk right into him. He grabbed the lapels of her jacket. "Yer under my command and do as I bloody tell ye. Now get back to the ship!" He let go off her and climbed into a longboat. She climbed in behind him.

"Seems like you were wrong", Mary said, infected by the still heated atmosphere surrounding the crew. "You have no idea how you might feel. Not anymore."

His jaw clenched and a dangerous glimmer shot through his eyes. "Don't provoke me, woman!"

Mary rolled her eyes at him, but chose to keep quiet. Back on board of the Pearl she wanted to follow Barbossa to the helm, but he blocked her way.

"Trust me", he whispered, before he turned to Bo'sun. "Put her in the brig and bring Sparrow to my cabin", Barbossa ordered.

"Aye, sir", Bo'sun said with a grin and grabbed her arm. "What?", she asked, staring at the Captain with wide eyes. What had gotten into him? How the hell was she supposed to help him locked in a cell? The first mate dragged her into the ship's depths and locked her up. Water flooded this part of the ship up until her ankles. She sat down, not caring for the water that soaked her clothes. The curse had finally gotten the better of Barbossa and if she couldn't break it, she would lose him forever. Mary leaned back and closed her eyes, forcing herself to not give up hope. Trust me, he had said. No, she would not give up hope. Not yet.

* * *

 **A review would be great :)**


	4. Walking the Plank

**Author's Note: I'm very sorry for keeping you waiting - a flu and university got in the way. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Walking the Plank

The Pearl was sailing at full speed, waves crashing against its hull, sending the water splashing to all sides. Mary would have killed to figure out what had been going on since she had been locked up. When the Pearl had hit open waters, she had gotten up, frustrated with herself for having behaved so dramatically instead of keeping a clear head. And now she was standing there utterly lost, unable to move much, because the cell offered little space. To her relief heavy steps on the stairs announced someone. The notion of relief was reduced when she saw that it was Bo'sun, but remained as he was dragging Jack Sparrow towards the cell next to Mary's. "Oi, apparently there's a leak", the pirate commented sarcastically. Bo'sun only growled and pushed Jack into the cell, turning the key with a smug grin. Mary moved to the bars. "What's going on up there?", she demanded to know.

"Closin' in on the navy ship", he said and disappeared.

"Treatin' my ship badly, how dare they?", Jack mumbled, eyeing the puddle he stood in angrily.

"Your ship?", Mary laughed. "Odd place to be for a Captain", she pointed out, gesturing at the bars of the cells.

He gave her a fake smile, accompanied with a squint of his eyes. "And who might you be, missy?"

"Mary Smyth", she introduced herself.

"And how come a young lady like yarself finds herself in the brig of a pirate ship?"

"I happen to be a member of this crew."

"Ah, odd place for ya to be then too", he replied.

Mary glared at him, having no clever reply to that.

"Been naughty?", he asked, grinning as if his mind was wondering in some inappropriate direction.

Mary rolled her eyes at that.

Jack put his hands up as a peace offering. "Anyway, now that we're cell mates we might as well have a little chat."

"About what?"

"I'm very interested in how ya ended up as a crew member for example."

"None of your business", Mary told him.

"Ah, well, how about an exchange? A story for a story?", he offered. "I tell ya why this ship belongs to me and ya fill me in on the details of yar venture, quest, whatever."

Mary sighed. "Fine then. You start."

Jack thought about that for a moment, wondering if he wanted to start, but then shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Ten years ago this was my ship and my crew, a good crew. We were successful pirates, lived life to the fullest and made use of every ounce of freedom the ship gave us. Then I heard whispers of a gold treasure on an island that could not be found expect by those who already knew where it was. Sounded like quite the adventure so I figured the location. It had been three days since we set sail when my first mate came to me, saying everything is an equal share, meaning the location of the treasure as well. He was my friend, been through quite a few things and that made me make the mistake of trusting him. That night, there was a mutiny and they marooned me on a tiny island to die. Quite ironic that is, really. While I was left to die, they sailed to their doom. At least I was spared that."

"Who was your first mate?", Mary asked, suspecting whose name would come up.

"Barbossa – isn't that obvious?", Jack replied. "We met at Shipwreck City. He had lost his ship to another pirate. I helped him figure out who the blackguard had been and Barbossa took his revenge. Years later we met again in Tortuga and he joined my crew. Good man, very good pirate, maybe too good", he mused.

"So Barbossa betrayed you?"

"Does that surprise ya?"

Mary snorted. "He is a pirate. It's what he does."

"Sounds like he let ya down as well."

She shook her head. "It's the curse."

"Ah, yes." Jack scratched his head. "When I last saw him he was a pirate through and through. Quite the cunning bastard, bit too fond of violent solutions for my liking, but he had my back and he did value loyalty. The prospect of the Aztec treasure got to his head I think."

"Or maybe he didn't think you were a particular good captain", Mary argued.

Jack laughed. "He didn't like my way of doing things, that's all. A mutual feeling, by the way, but we still respected each other. But now he has had the curse eating away at him for ten years. Not much left of the person I knew. But don't worry. I'll put him out of his misery", he said, pointing two fingers to his head to symbolize a gun.

Mary eyed him. "We shall see."

"Ya would cross me to protect him?"

"No offense, but he seems the scarier out of you two."

"So ya only want to protect him, because yar scared of him?", Jack wondered.

"I'm not scared of him", Mary replied. "He saved my life, I'll help him save his."

"So it's a deal between ya two? A favour for a favour."

Jack was starting to infuriate her as well as making her understand how his character could have played a part in the mutiny. "He is my friend. I care about him. And that feeling is mutual."

Jack raised his eyebrows at her. "Hector caring about anyone but himself? Are ya sure ya know him at all?"

"I know him well enough", Mary replied firmly, signaling that she would have no more discussion about this. Jack might have continued anyways, but the sound of wood hitting the Pearl's hull stopped him. "What was that?", Mary asked.

Jack leaned against the wooden wall of his cell and bowed down to look through a hole.

"And? What do you see?", Mary wanted to know.

"Seems like our friends on the Interceptor have lightened the ship to speed up."

"They can't beat the Pearl", Mary said with a furrowed brow.

"For once we're in agreement", Jack grinned.

…

The chase was about to reach its finale as Mary heard the crew preparing the cannons.

"Seems like Hector is quite angry with the young missy. He ran out the sweeps", Jack commented.

"They're going to sink her", Mary concluded.

"Aye. This is some serious business", Jack said, scratching his beard.

"I have to get out of here!", Mary stated, examining the lock to her cell to figure if she could pick it. It was simple enough, but she would need something thin and pointy. The wall had been neglected, therefore several splinters were there for the taking. She began to pull at one that seemed to work fine for lock-picking. Jack watched her. "What good will that do?"

"I might be able to open the door with a splinter", she said through gritted teeth while she was fighting with the wood.

"No, I meant getting out of here. What good would ya do up there?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Right now I'm considering throwing you overboard."

Jack laughed. "Good luck with that then." Then the ship turned suddenly, throwing both of them against the wall.

"Bloody hell", Mary cursed, holding her hand in which she was now holding the splinter, but not without having cut her palm.

"Change of plans as it seems", Jack commented.

Mary ignored him, kneeling in front of the lock and putting one arm through the bars. She put the splinter in the lock and began to fumble with the mechanism. The pirates above her were cheering which they usually did to intimidate their opponents.

Jack's eyes widened. "The fools are going to fight", he exclaimed.

"I assume by fools you're referring to the Interceptor?", Mary asked.

"Full broadside", he warned, before the air was filled with the thunder of cannons, the screams of men and the shrieking of iron balls smashing through wood. Mary stilled her hands and turned just in time to see how Jack jumped aside in expectation of a cannon ball. She threw herself on the ground, face first into the water. The wall was smashed open and she covered her head with her hands. When she looked up the hole in Jack's cell had become only a little smaller.

"Stop blowing holes in my ship!", Jack screamed offended, then fished a flask out of the water. Mary frowned. "They're not using cannon balls", she said, more to herself than to Jack who wanted to drink from the flask, but finding it to be empty. He leaned his head to one side, eyeing the smoking door to his cell. He got up and pushed it open, the lock destroyed. "See ya on deck then", he told her with a smug grin and made his way up. Mary muttered a curse under her breath and increased her effort at getting the door to open. The cannon fire had begun to cease when the lock finally clicked and the door swung open. She ran to the stairs, grabbing her weaponry on the way, fastening the belt while she took two steps at once. Chaos welcomed her on deck with pirates running around, some flying through the air due to explosions, others preparing to board the Interceptor. Rifles were fired on both sides, the tiny bullets whistling through the air angrily. She spotted Barbossa in the midst of all that, shouting orders. She kept to the top of the stairs where she was somewhat hidden to get a clear overview of the situation.

"Strike yer colours, ye bloomin' cockroaches!", Barbossa screamed. "Hands, grapnels at the ready! Prepare to board!" Most of the crew on deck moved to the railing to throw their grapnels and board the Interceptor when a cannon ball ripped through the main mast of the navy ship, tearing it apart. Men fell from the rigging, screaming in agony as the mast cracked, falling towards the Pearl. In panic, the Pearl's crew took cover, jumping out of the way, until Barbossa was the only one left standing. He took a few steps forward and remained unharmed as the sails crashed onto deck. He was standing right where the sail had a hole, unimpressed, proud. Mary smiled, realizing how the crew members looked at their Captain in disbelief and a sense of admiration.

"Pistols and cutlasses, men!", he shouted while the pirates got back on their feet, returning to the fight. "Koehler and Twigg to the powder magazine! And the rest of ye, bring me the medallion!" With angry growls and chants, the pirates moved to attack the crew of the Interceptor. Mary moved from her spot and appeared at Barbossa's side. He only realised it was her on second look. "You?", he asked in disbelief.

"Aye! Jack's got out as well. Don't let him get the medallion", she told him.

Barbossa rolled his eyes and let his monkey jump of his shoulder to take care of the medallion. "Get under deck. It's not save here", he ordered.

"Tell me what your plan is first!", she demanded. "I can't help you if you don't fill me in on everything."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Ye need to stay away until the curse is broken", he whispered in her ear. "Yer not save with us until then and need to stay away."

"I'm not leaving you!", she replied.

"Don't fight with me over this", he said softly.

"I cannot leave you!"

He silenced her with a kiss that took her off guard. It didn't last long and she could sense that Barbossa wasn't comfortable as he couldn't feel and control the kiss the way he wanted to. "It's not forever", he breathed. Tears were stinging in her eyes as he let go of her and walked away. How could she possibly leave him, especially after what he had just done? Her attention was drawn back to the fight that had become a brutal slaughter. She heard Jack scream and spotted him swinging between the two ships until he landed safely on the Interceptor. He stood no chance against the monkey in finding the medallion, yet Mary had to admit that he was the most annoying person she had ever come across. A salvo forced her to take cover, bullets flying past her left and right. And then the fighting stopped. A look over to the Interceptor let her know that the crew had been overwhelmed and had surrendered. Only Jack hadn't given up yet, crawling over the falling mast in a desperate attempt to catch up with the monkey who held the medallion. Jack was too slow and looked up to a triumphantly smiling Barbossa who now held the medallion. "Well, thank you, Jack", he announced.

"You're welcome", Jack replied with a faked smile that was hiding his fury.

"Not you. We named the monkey Jack", Barbossa explained with a grin.

Jack's smile fell a little, offended by his rival's words.

"Gents! Our hope is restored!", Barbossa shouted, holding the medallion up for the crew to see who cheered.

Mary moved from her cover to join the rest of the crew, but walked into Bo'sun who growled and grabbed her. She was tied to the Pearl's mast alongside the Interceptor's crew, much to their confusion. It took a while until they had freed the Pearl of the Interceptor's mast and maneuvered away from the smoking wreck. Pintel walked around them, holding his pistol up their noses. "Any of you so much as thinks the word _parley_ , I'll have your guts for garters", he threatened, being somewhat intimidating for the first time since Mary had met him. She looked over to Barbossa who was standing at the rail, medallion in hand, watching the Interceptor sink. He seemed deep in thought. Elizabeth was tied next to her, quite obviously distressed. Mary heard her take a deep breath and then she slipped underneath the loosely tied rope and was half way to Barbossa when the Interceptor was ripped into pieces by a mighty explosion. The pirates laughed. Mary watched Elizabeth closely who had stopped dead in her tracks at the pillar of smoke, fire and splintered wood that had been shot in the air. "Will", she breathed in shock and then stormed towards Barbossa in pure anger. "You godless pirate!", she screamed at him, slamming her fists into his back. He turned, grabbing her by the wrists and holding her still. "Welcome back, miss. Ye took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now ye return the favour", he told her with a grin and pushed her into the laughing crew that grabbed her inappropriately, drawing screams from her.

"Barbossa!", a young man's voice shouted, getting the Captain's attention who eyed the boy confused. He must have been able to escape the Interceptor and swim to the Pearl. He was soaking, yet standing confidently on the rail, holding on to a rope.

"Will", Elizabeth breathed relieved.

Will jumped on deck, grabbing a pistol from the pile of weapons they had taken from the Interceptor's crew. He was pointing it directly at the Captain. "She goes free", he demanded, meaning Elizabeth. Barbossa walked towards him, still trying to process where the boy had come from. "What's in yer head, boy?", he asked.

"She goes free", Will repeated determined.

"Ye've only got one shot, and we can't die", Barbossa replied, stepping as close to the pistol as he could, knowing he had to fear nothing.

"Don't do anything stupid!", Jack begged from behind Barbossa, addressing Will who only glanced shortly at him, before coming to a decision. He turned back around and jumped onto the railing, holding onto the rope again. "You can't", he exclaimed. "I can", he announced, pressing the pistol underneath his chin.

"Like that", Jack whispered with a sigh. That was when Mary began to understand who Will was.

"Who are you?", Barbossa asked, bewildered by the boy's actions.

"No one. He's no one", Jack stepped in, walking to stand in front of Barbossa who looked at his former Captain suspiciously. "A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew, twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch", Jack lied.

"My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner", Will introduced himself, causing Barbossa to glare Jack out of the way. "His blood runs in my veins." Jack stepped aside, a look of defeat on his face.

"It's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us", Ragetti shouted.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Oh, now that you know who he is you suddenly think he looks like Bootstrap? Couldn't have realised that sooner?", she wondered sarcastically, silencing the wooden eyed pirate.

"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger, and be lost to Davy Jones' locker!", Will threatened.

"Name yer terms, Mr. Turner", Barbossa told him, opening negotiations.

"Elizabeth goes free!", he shouted.

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know that one. Anything else?", he wondered.

Will was caught off guard and struggled to think of something, looking at Jack for help whose gestures pointing at himself did not have the impact intended. "And the crew. The crew are not to be harmed", Will demanded.

Barbossa grinned. "Agreed."

…

The crew was holding back Will who was trying to struggle free as he had to watch how the pirates were pushing Elizabeth towards the set up plank. A small island with a few palm trees was to be spotted in a swimmable distance. The pirates were shouting and cheering, wanting to see Elizabeth jump off the plank. Will had fought his way close to the Captain. "Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!", he shouted.

Barbossa turned to him angrily. "Don't dare impugn me honour, boy. I agreed she'd go free", he said and added with a laugh: "But it was ye who failed to specify when or where."

They tied Will and silenced him with a gag. Barbossa turned back to Elizabeth. "Though it does seem a shame to lose somethin' so fine, don't it, lads?", he wondered. The crew chanted in agreement. "So I'll be havin' that dress back before ye go", he told her. She held his gaze, angrily removing the dress and throwing it at his outstretched hand. "Goes with your black heart." He caught it with a grin and held it to his cheek. "It's still warm", he commented, before he threw it to his men. Mary was judging his actions from where she was still tied to the mast which he seemed to sense. He gave her an apologetic look for such a short moment she wasn't even sure it had been there at all. Everyone was watching Elizabeth now, as she slowly walked to the edge of the plank. She was clearly scared and for a short moment Mary wondered if she could swim at all. It was Bo'sun who lost patience and made the plank shake with a stomp of his foot. "Too long", he said annoyed while doing so. Elizabeth lost her balance with a scream and fell into the ocean. Barbossa turned and looked at Mary. It slowly dawned on her what was bound to happen next and she couldn't put into words how much she disliked that. "Bring her forward!", he ordered. Pintel and Ragetti grabbed her arms and dragged her to the plank.

"Is this your idea of gratitude?", she asked.

"Ye have been useful to us, I won't deny that", Barbossa said. "But yer usefulness has come to an end. We'll manage from here, missy. Got everything we need. Now off ye go."

She stared at him angrily. Yes, he was putting up a show, but for a small part of her this felt very real. "Don't bother memorizing my face. You will see it again very soon", she told them. The crew laughed.

"Spare us yer threats and walk the plank, Smyth", Barbossa told her.

She walked past him with her head held high until the very end of the plank where she turned to face the pirates. "Aye, Capt'n", she spat and graciously jumped backwards into the ocean, unable to see how Barbossa's face fell for a short moment.

The water was cold, but calm and clear. She opened her eyes, looking at the Pearl's underside that was covered in sharp shells. She swam to the surface to take deep breaths and gain orientation. She could have tried to climb the ship and hide somewhere on board, but if Barbossa wanted her out of the way he would get his will. Elizabeth wasn't far ahead and Mary began to swim after her towards the beach of the island that was too small for having a name or any significance whatsoever.

Completely soaked, exhausted and annoyed Elizabeth and Mary walked ashore, Jack behind them, fumbling the rope off that had tied his hands. "That's the second time I've watched that man sail away with my ship."

"Bloody pirates", Mary mumbled.

"Ironic that you would curse cursed pirates", Elizabeth commented, wringing the water from her hair.

Mary rolled her eyes at Elizabeth. "Shut up."

"I hope you have a plan", Elizabeth said.

"Me? I'm going to lie on this beach until I'm dry for now. Plan enough for you?"

"But what about Barbossa? Don't you want to save him?"

"He has the medallion and Turner. He will manage and if I'm lucky he will come back for me."

"Don't you want to make sure that he's all right?"

"Listen, Lizzy, he wanted me out of the way, so I'll stay out of his way."

"But you care about him!"

"Yes, I bloody do and now do me a favour and stop reminding me of that until the sun has boiled my brain into uselessness." Mary dropped into the sand, lying there all forth stretched out.

"And what of Will? They will kill him!"

"What do I care?", Mary mumbled. "Go annoy Sparrow."

Elizabeth screamed in frustration and ran after Jack who had already walked into the shade of the palm trees. Mary closed her eyes and let the hot sun and the sound of the waves lull her to sleep.

…

Mary woke when Elizabeth dropped next to her in the sand at sunset. "Thirsty?", she asked, offering her a bottle of rum. Mary moved into a sitting position, grumbling at the throbbing sunburn she had caught. The alcohol would be a welcome pain killer. "Where did you get that?"

"Smugglers left it", Elizabeth replied. "Should be enough supplies to get us through a few weeks."

"Weeks? I'm not planning to stay that long."

"So you do have a plan?"

"Depends", Mary said and took a few huge gulps of the rum. "Is Jack making a fire?"

"Yes, he's already drunk, I think."

"Already? Dear lord, how many bottles did he have?", Mary laughed.

Elizabeth only shrugged. "I don't care."

"I'm sorry about Will", Mary offered.

"Don't say that. There's still time."

"Aye, but we need a ship, a fast one and by dawn latest", Mary said.

"That's impossible", Elizabeth sighed.

"Aren't you related to the governor of Port Royal?", Mary asked.

"How do you know about…?"

"You're clearly not a Turner and if you lied about that part, I figured you might have also lied about being a maid."

"I'm his daughter", Elizabeth clarified.

"Brilliant!", Mary exclaimed. "Means there will be a few ships out there looking for you, right?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Possibly."

"We'll get a ship then", Mary commented with a wink and drank some more. "I'll help that lunatic with the fire", she said then and got up, stumbling through the white sand over to Jack who had put together quite the impressive amount of dry wood, leaving Elizabeth with an idea.

…

Mary was quite drunk and listened to Jack and Elizabeth singing. The fire was dancing in front of her. The two others dropped next to her, talking some nonsense about the meaning of a ship. Mary sighed, starting to feel both dizzy and a little sick due to the rum. "Bloody hell, I love a pirate", she mumbled, before passing out, waking at dawn to the smell of smoke, the sound of a raging fire and an impressive headache. She turned her head, spotting Elizabeth who had piled up the rum and set it on fire, creating a massive signal of smoke. Jack also woke, reacting quite badly to the sight of the fire. He jumped to his feet, taking in the sight before his eyes widened and he began to wave his arms. "No!", he exclaimed, running towards Elizabeth. "Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing?"

Elizabeth came back to the beach, walking past the distressed Jack who turned back around to follow her. "You've burned all the food, the shade, the rum."

"Yes, the rum is gone", she replied, letting her gaze wander across the horizon.

"Why is the rum gone?", Jack asked, his speech still influenced by alcohol.

She turned angrily. "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into scoundrels", she told him to which Mary raised her empty bottle. "Aye, agreed."

"Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me. Do you really think there is the slightest chance that they won't see it?"

Jack starred at her in horror. "But why is the rum gone?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned, sitting down next to Mary. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open, and you will see white sails on that horizon."

Mary sat up. "Nice one, Elizabeth."

Jack hastily drew his pistol, pointing it at Elizabeth than at Mary and back at Elizabeth before giving up frustrated and marching down the beach.

"Was that what you had in mind?", Elizabeth asked, when Jack was already half way down the beach.

"Something like that, I guess. I don't remember last night well", Mary admitted.

"You said you loved a pirate before you passed out", Elizabeth said with a teasing smile.

Mary scratched her head. "Did I?"

"I think this means we can make a deal. You help me save Will and I help you save Barbossa."

"Sounds good, but I shall only agree to that once we stand a chance of saving both, so once a ship turns up and we can still make it in time you have my word."

"Fair enough", Elizabeth said. The white sails appeared much sooner than either of them had hoped for, sealing their bargain.

…

"But we've got to save Will!", Elizabeth exclaimed, after having told Norrington and her father that the young man had been kidnapped only to find out that the Dauntless was on course back to Port Royal.

"No", Governor Swan replied. "You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates." He walked towards Norrington who was eyeing Mary suspiciously. He hadn't yet quite bought Elizabeth's story that she too had been kidnapped by pirates and wasn't one herself.

"Then we condemn him to death", Elizabeth stated.

"The boy's fate is regrettable, but then so is his decision to engage in piracy", the governor replied.

"To rescue me. To prevent anything from happening to me", she exclaimed.

"With respect, Sir, I have to support Miss Elizabeth. Mr. Turner's actions were all made with the good intention to save your daughter", Mary tried to help.

"If I may be so bold as to interject my professional opinion", Jack joined the conversation, much to the annoyance of the other participants. "The Pearl took some damage during the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time", he addressed Norrington. "Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" Jack was playing cleverly - Mary gave him that - trying to appeal to the Commodore's pride, but Norrington was perhaps too proud to listen to the words of a pirate, no matter how true they must have rang to him.

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself", he replied steadily, making Mary curse in thought. Norrington turned to walk away, but Elizabeth hadn't given up yet. "Commodore, I beg you, please, do this for me", she asked him and added: "As a wedding gift."

Norrington turned, obviously at a loss for words, while Mary tried to hide her shock at how far Elizabeth was willing to go for this. "Elizabeth?", her father asked in a mixture of happiness and doubt. "Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?"

She hardly hesitated with her reply. "I am", she said so sincerely, Mary thought she might actually mean it.

"A wedding. I love weddings. Drinks all around!", Jack exclaimed. Norrington gave him a stern look that silenced the pirate. He held his hands up in front of him. "I know. _Clap him in irons_ , right?"

Head held high, Norrington came back down the stairs. "Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase _silent as the grave_. Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably clear", Jack replied, hiding his triumph just like Mary and Elizabeth did.

"As for you, Miss Smyth", Norrington addressed Mary. "You shall keep Miss Swann company until we return to Port Royal."

Mary bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, Sir."

* * *

 **I'd love to hear what you think! :)**


	5. One Last Shot

**Author's note: A word of warning - this chapter includes Hector's death scene from the first movie and I have changed it slightly (tbh I made it worse after my research on heart shots concluded that it's a quick death, but not as quick as one would like to think). The next three chapters will not include him and focus on Mary's part in the events of Dead Man's Chest.**

 **If you haven't been able to tell already that I'm not a native speaker of English you might notice now as the describing of sword fighting has brought me to my limits - apologies for that! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

Chapter 5

One Last Shot

Hector was tense as he demanded his crew to cheer while he grabbed the knife to kill Turner and be rid of the curse. He had no intention of wasting any more time. Once the curse was broken he would sail the Pearl back to the small island to get Mary. Some part of him was worried that she would be angry with him, but he knew how much she cared and hoped that the joy of seeing him alive and free would ease her fury. "Begun by blood. By blood und…", he said, the last word getting stuck in his throat as he laid eyes on Jack who was making his way through the crew that turned silent upon seeing him. Jack realised that Barbossa was staring at him in shock and waved with a grin.

Turner looked up. "Jack!"

"It's not possible", Hector breathed.

"Not probable", Jack replied, reaching the last row of pirates where Bo'sun held him back with one hand on his shoulder.

"Where's Elizabeth?", Turner asked, trying to struggle free.

 _Where's Mary?_ It echoed in Hector's head. If Jack was here, she would also have to be near.

"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised and you get to die for her just like you promised. And you're all going to see Mary's face again, just like she promised", Jack explained, causing Hector to let his gaze wander the cave. If she was here, he wanted her by his side. But she didn't seem to have come to the caves with Jack which led to the question of where else she could be.

"So we're all men of our word really, except for Elizabeth and Mary, who are in fact women", Jack concluded.

"Shut up! Yer next!", Hector silenced him and turned to cut Turner's throat.

"Ya don't want to be doing that, mate", Jack said.

Hector glared at his rival. "No, I really think I do."

"Yar funeral", Jack said with a shrug.

Hector rolled his eyes. The man had a talent to force people into conversations that was infuriatingly annoying. "Why don't I want to be doin' it?", he inquired.

"Because…", Jack began, happy that he got the chance to elaborate and ridding himself of Bo'sun's hand by slapping it to walk up to where Hector stood next to the chest. "Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore waiting for ya", he explained, drawing worried mumbling from the crew. Jack had reached Hector now who was clenching his jaw, now concerned that Mary was kept prisoner aboard the Dauntless.

"Just hear me out, mate"; Jack told him. "Ya order yar men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best…" The men laughed at that compliment, interrupting Jack's speech for a short moment. "Robert's yar uncle, Fanny's yar aunt… There ya are with two ships. The makings of yar own fleet."

Hector eyed Jack suspiciously. The idea appealed to him, in fact, his own fleet would support his plans of perhaps settling down somewhere for a while and enjoy life with Mary.

"Cause ya'll take the grandest as yar flagship and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me captain. I'll sail under yar colours and give ya 10% of me plunder and ya get to introduce yarself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?", Jack finished.

Hector wasn't too surprised that Jack was only interested in getting his Pearl back. And Hector was willing to let him have her, for old time's sake and in his own interest. "And I suppose in exchange ye want me not to kill the whelp", Hector wondered.

"No, no, no. Not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet", Jack said. "Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment."

Hector watched Turner's face wrinkle quizzically while Jack grabbed a handful of the gold from the chest. "For instance after ya've killed Norrington's men. Every… Last... One...", he suggested, letting the pieces fall back.

"You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name", Turner accused Jack angrily.

Jack shrugged. "Yeah."

"I want 50% of yer plunder", Hector demanded.

"15", Jack entered negotiations.

"40", Hector returned.

"25", Jack offered. "And I'll buy ya a hat. A really big one. And ya get the girl, of course, once she's been freed from the navy's cell. Commodore?"

There was Hector's answer. Mary was being held captive and the navy would pay dearly for having captured her. He smiled at Jack, feeling some relief at having restored their relationship in parts. "We have an accord", he said and shook Jack's hand.

Jack smiled and turned to the men. "All hands to the boats!"

Hector looked at him with raised eyebrows, getting an apologetic bow from Jack. "Apologies. Ya give the orders", Jack said.

Hector grinned, addressing his crew. "Gents… take a walk!", he ordered.

"Not to the boats?", Jack wondered, getting nothing but a frown from Hector.

…

"Sorry, it's for your own safety!", the soldier apologised, as he dragged Elizabeth towards the Captain's cabin. She was struggling fiercely, forcing a second soldier to come to his comrade's aid.

"I don't care, I have to tell him!", she shouted. "The pirates are cursed! They can't be killed!", she tried to warn them, but they weren't paying attention, busy with pulling her along. Mary was behind her, calmly following without giving the soldier at her side any reason to interfere. They were lucky that Norrington had already left with his men and Jack in the longboats or he might have changed his mind about attacking the pirates. That was if he had believed Elizabeth's words which Gillette clearly did not. They pushed Elizabeth into the cabin, Mary slipping in behind her. The governor's daughter turned back around immediately to face Gillette who blocked the door. "Don't worry, miss, he's already informed of that", he assured her. "A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story." He was mocking her mercilessly, having no respect whatsoever for her. He laughed at her before leaving, locking the door behind him. Elizabeth screamed and smashed her hands against the door. "This is Jack Sparrow's doing!", she shouted to get the men to return, but they ignored her. She turned to Mary, her look screaming why she hadn't said anything.

"You need to calm down", Mary told her. "Think about it. Do you honestly believe Norrington would have risked this venture had he known about the curse? "

"They won't succeed."

"They don't have to succeed", Mary argued. "Jack is going to try and negotiate with Barbossa for the Pearl. And whatever he's going to come up with will buy us more time to get to the caves and resolve this mess."

"The soldiers are a distraction?", she asked in shock.

"Of course. If we're lucky the crew will come out and try to get rid of them, leaving Barbossa, Jack, Will and maybe two or three pirates in the cave. Our chance to save our two fools", Mary explained.

"And how are we going to get there?", Elizabeth wanted to know.

Mary looked around the cabin. "There isn't much of a difference between doors and windows, is there?"

Elizabeth processed what Mary was suggesting and then moved to a cupboard, grabbing the sheets that were stored in it and beginning to bind them together. Mary opened a window and looked down. The way to the ocean was clear, but Mary didn't fancy swimming. Luckily for them, one of the small longboats had been let into water, but left behind and instead been tied to the ship, floating underneath in the dark water. A knock at the door made Mary turn. Elizabeth didn't stop her work on the sheets, but listened as her father's voice echoed through the doors. "Elizabeth?", he asked. "I just want you to know I believe you made a very good decision today."

Elizabeth turned, looking at her father's shadow through the glass. The governor sat down next to the door and continued: "Couldn't be more proud of you. But you know, even a good decision, if made for the wrong reasons, can be a wrong decision."

Mary watched how a hint of guilt crossed Elizabeth's features, but she finished tying the sheets and threw them to Mary. She tied one end to the ship and threw it down. "Quickly", Mary whispered, helping Elizabeth to climb outside. She waited until she was half way down and then followed. They had to swim a few meters to the boat and climbed in. Mary grabbed the oars.

"To the Pearl", Elizabeth told her. "We can get the crew to help."

Mary wanted to protest, but on second thought this didn't seem like such a terrible idea. She rowed as fast as she could, the fog blocking them from the Dauntless' view.

…

Hector had sat down on a small rock that was parting the treasure at the foot of the gold mountain that presented the cursed chest on top. Three members of his crew were watching Turner while Jack explored the cave and examined the treasures. It had cost Hector quite some self-control to not join his crew in the fight with the navy, but he figured that it was best to wait for him in the safety of the caves, guaranteeing that Turner was secured. He was worrying about Mary and if they would treat her properly, but he kept telling himself that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. His gaze fell upon Jack who was eyeing a small golden statue, no sign of wanting revenge for the mutiny left. "I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured", Hector told the other pirate captain. "But it turns out yer a hard man to predict."

Jack looked at him, throwing the statue back into the pile of gold. "Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man ya can always trust to be dishonest", he said, walking towards Hector. "Honestly, it's the honest once ya want to watch out for", he warned Hector, lining up with Monk who was throwing flat stones at the puddles in an attempt to get them to jump a few times before sinking. "Ya can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly…", he paused and looked at Turner. "Stupid."

Hector frowned, watching how Jack drew Twiggs sword and kicked him into the puddle. The pirate fell with a surprised scream face first into the water. Hector was cursing himself in thought at having so foolishly assumed that the _great_ Captain Jack Sparrow would forgive a mutiny so easily and forget about any thoughts of revenge. _Yer gettin' too soft_ , Hector told himself as Jack threw Turner the sword, continuing to draw his own and attack Hector, who jumped to his feet, sword in hand. He fought Jack off with ease and decided to get away from the slippery stone between the puddles onto steadier ground. While he retreated a few steps, he realised that he had not only agreed to Jack's plan of building a fleet to satisfy his massive ego, but that Mary's safety and happiness had become of equal importance to his own interests. Jack cut his train of thought short as he blocked his way, forcing Hector to parry and counterattack. Jack's sword swooshed through the air and Hector heard it cut through the feathers of his hat and watched them float to the ground. Angrily he threw caution overboard and attacked fiercely, getting Jack to retreat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Turner who was fighting three pirates on his own with such elegance and ease that Hector couldn't help but be impressed at the boy's talents. In his very own duel, he felt a bit stiff, not having had such a proper one on one in years. He aimed a blow at Jack's neck, but he ducked in time. Hector moved in, blocking his opponent's sword while reducing the distance between them to a minimum. "Yer off the edge of the map, mate! Here there be monsters!", he told Jack whose weakness apart from his bad balance was his vulnerability to intimidation that made him cheat in most fights. Hector didn't have Jack's tricks to fear as he was as of now still immortal.

…

Mary and Elizabeth had reached the side of the Pearl, carefully climbing up. The cannons were pointing outwards, the hatches allowing them to peek inside. Mallott and Grapple had been left behind to watch the ship. The two were sitting opposite of each other at a small table that was close to bursting underneath the feast they had put up.

"Right, what would you pick to eat first?", Mallott asked, letting his eyes wander over the dishes hungrily. "I think we should decide now just so we're ready when the time comes." _Good, they were distracted_ , Mary thought. They continued their climb up, scanning the deck cautiously, before quietly jumping over the rail on deck. Both of them kept looking around, unsure if the two pirates really had been left to guard the Pearl alone. Out of nowhere the monkey Jack appeared in skeleton form, hanging from the rigging and scaring Elizabeth with a shriek that revealed its sharp teeth. The monkey seemed a little irritated at the sight of Mary as he knew her as his master's ally who had taught him to respect her. The little Jack chose to ignore Mary and continued to try and intimidate Elizabeth who gave him a glare, before grabbing him by the throat and throwing him overboard, before Mary had the chance to interfere. The monkey hit a cannon on his way down, which made a loud bang as bones crashed on metal. "Brilliant", Mary mouthed angrily, knowing that the two pirates would be alarmed now and come on deck. She hurried behind Elizabeth down the first flight of stairs where they turned right to hide behind some crates as the two pirates stormed up, oblivious to their presence. The crew of the Interceptor was all locked in one big cell. The lock was picked quickly by Mary and they silently returned on deck where Mallott and Grapple were leaning over the railing in search for the monkey. The crew set up behind one of the longboats and pulled it up, until it swung freely. The skeletons realised they weren't alone too late and turned only to be thrown overboard in pieces by the swinging longboat. The Interceptor's crew cheered, but was silenced as the alarm bell on the Dauntless rang. Shots and screams were heard in the distance and Mary could make the outlines of the navy's longboats in the fog that were turning back to their ship. Elizabeth ignored that, grabbing a rope to set the big longboat into water. Then the cannons of the Dauntless opened fire, aiming at the longboats, letting everyone aboard the Pearl know that the pirates had as good as taken control of the men o' war.

…

The duel had led them away from the treasure hall and to its side, where Hector was in the uncomfortable position of having to fight Jack uphill on one of the slippery narrow paths that circled the hall. Hector's powerful and precise hits forced Jack in a defensive position in which he hastily blocked blow after blow, unable to pay too much attention to his footing. That caused him to stumble backwards. While getting up he managed to parry continuously, but Hector outmaneuvered him and kicked him in the chest while he was still kneeling, sending Jack flying onto his back. Out of breath and in pain he quickly turned to stop Hector from stabbing him, but Hector had had enough of this. He couldn't die, so why on earth should he waste his time and energy fighting? Taking a step back he dropped his sword. "Ye can't beat me, Jack", he said, heavily out of breath. Jack jumped to his feet and smashed his sword right through Hector's guts. Hector looked down at the sword and took his time to play out a dramatic eyeroll accompanied by an annoyed sigh. Then he grabbed the sword by the handle, removing it, turning it and stabbing Jack in one smooth movement. He wasn't quite sure why he was grinning at the sight of Jack gasping for air in shock and stumbling a few steps back, but he was. But when Jack stepped into a beam of moonlight, he turned into a rotting skeleton, unbothered by the blade sticking through him. Hector frowned in confusion. His rival was as cursed as he was.

Jack eyed his skeleton hands, intrigued. "That's interesting", he commented.

Hector's grin had been completely swiped from his face and been replaced by a look that was a mixture of disgust, anger and annoyance.

A piece of Aztec gold was wandering through Jack's fingers, ringing as if to mock Hector while it hit the bones. "I couldn't resist, mate", Jack apologised sarcastically and grinned.

Hector let out a growl and picked his sword up, grabbing a handful of treasure with his left hand which he threw towards Jack who would have otherwise been able to strike first. With the coins flying at him however his vision was restricted and he fell back, Hector running after him. He miscalculated and ran too close, giving Jack the opportunity to block his sword and smash his elbow into Hector's face with such force that he tumbled and rolled back down the path. Only at the very bottom was he able to stop his fall and fight back on his knees, for Jack had followed him in anticipation of Hector having lost his orientation after the fall. That was not the case. Hector's anger allowed him to gain back his ground, though he was a little dizzy. Their duel had gained a certain speed now that made both more vulnerable for taking blows, but since they were both cursed neither cared. Hector slipped past Jack and smashed into the wall, falling behind on his rival who was retreating back to the hall. Again being too fast, Hector slid past Jack, lost his balance and found himself lying on a rock that was covered in moonlight, turning him into a skeleton. Realising that he needed to slow this fight down, Hector decided to attempt a conversation if only to have a small break. "So what now, Jack Sparrow?", he asked, making Jack stop his movements. "Are we to be two immortals, locked in an epic battle until Judgement Day when the trumpets sound?", he wondered, sincerely hoping this wouldn't be the case. He didn't know at this point how to win as breaking the curse at this point would have been suicide. He could have used one of Mary's strange ideas now. Or her assistance in general.

"Or ya could surrender", Jack suggested, causing Hector to boil with anger and attack, all notions of ending this fight forgotten.

…

"We need to break the curse if we want to save the Dauntless", Mary told Elizabeth as she remembered that her father was on board and likely to cause as much concern for the young lady as the Turner boy.

"Aye", Elizabeth replied, a look of fierce determination on her face. Mary joined her at the rope to set the boat to water. "All of you with me!", Elizabeth shouted towards the crew. "Will is in that cave and we must save him. Ready, and heave!", she ordered, but it was only Mary who pulled with her, causing the boat to hardly move an inch. With a frown Elizabeth turned to face Gibbs. The entire crew was looking at them unimpressed. "Please, I need your help. Come on!", she shouted.

"Any port in a storm", Cotton's parrot announced.

"Cotton's right. We've got the Pearl", Gibbs said.

"And what about Jack? Are you just going to leave him?", Mary asked.

"Jack owes us a ship", Marty replied.

"And then there's the code to consider", Gibbs added.

"The Code?", Mary and Elizabeth asked simultaneously in utter disbelief.

"You're pirates. Hang the Code and hang the rules! They're more like guidelines anyway", Elizabeth exclaimed, reciting Barbossa's words, but getting no reaction from any of the crew members.

"This is clearly a waste of time", Mary growled. "We'll manage without them", she assured Elizabeth who followed her back into their small boat, but not without glaring some sense of guilt into the Interceptor's former crew. Mary was rowing towards the cave while the Pearl set sail and the Dauntless was brutally battled over.

…

The sound of sword fighting echoed through the tunnels. Elizabeth was holding a rod as a weapon while Mary had picked up a sword. Will was on the floor after Jacoby had caused an explosion nearby. He was now storming towards Will through puddles of moonlight falling through the holy ceiling of the cave that made him go from human to skeleton and back so quickly, Mary thought she would get sick.

"I'm gonna teach ye the meanin' of pain!", Jacoby growled.

"You like pain?", Elizabeth shouted and smacked the rod into the pirate's skeleton face, throwing him to the ground. "Try wearing a corset!" She helped Will up who smiled upon seeing her, but couldn't hide his surprise.

"Nice one", Mary told Elizabeth.

Will looked at her with a frown. "Whose side are you on?"

Mary shrugged. "At the moment…"

Elizabeth looked over to Jack and Barbossa who were fighting each other fiercely, both turning to skeletons in the moonlight which made Mary raise her eyebrows.

"Whose side is Jack on?", Elizabeth asked.

Now Will shrugged. "At the moment…"

"Let's break the curse and be done with it", Mary said.

"The crew is on board the Dauntless", Elizabeth reminded her.

"I don't care about the Pearl's crew. I want to save Barbossa. Which includes one breaking the curse and two making sure Jack doesn't blow his face off the moment he turns mortal", she explained.

"Fine, but I'm not guaranteeing for anything", Will said.

"Traitor!", Jacoby shouted. Mary knew he was talking to her, but she just rolled her eyes and drew her sword. "First time we met, we had a fight and you lost. I have no intention of the last time we meet going any differently", she told him, attacking him while Will and Elizabeth took care of the other two pirates. Together they lined the three cursed pirates up, smacking the rod through all three in their skeleton form. Will took a grenade from Jacoby, lightened it up and put it between his ribs. Then they pushed them out of the moonlight, so that Jacoby was unable to get to the grenade. "No fair", he whimpered, before they blew up. Will ran up to the chest and Elizabeth followed close behind, not realizing that the explosion had drawn Barbossa's attention to them.

Barbossa pulled his gun, pointing it at Elizabeth which made her stop dead in her tracks in fear. "Hector, don't!", Mary shouted, revealing herself to him by jumping in front of Elizabeth to shield her. She saw how his finger twitched away from the trigger, yet a shot went off. Mary winced, expecting to find a hole in her chest, but Barbossa frowned and looked at Jack. His gun was smoking from the shot he had fired at his rival. Mary released a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. "Ten years ye carry that pistol and now ye waste yer shot!", Barbossa pointed out.

"He didn't waste it!", Will shouted, standing in front of the stone chest. Mary realised what he was about to do. "Turner, no!", she screamed, her eyes meeting Barbossa's. She heard the coins fall into the chest and for a moment it seemed like the few seconds had been enough for the curse to heal the Captain, but then he dropped his weapons and ripped his coat open. His white shirt started to soak with blood. Mary was unable to move or speak. She just… stared at him, eyes wide open in shock. He looked at her and a faint smile appeared. "I… feel…", he announced weakly, yet somewhat happily, emotions flickering in his eyes. Then his face fell and his eyes rolled back in his head. "Cold", he breathed and dropped to the floor, a green apple falling out of his hand rolling to Mary's feet. "Hector!" She dropped her sword and sprinted to him, crashing on her knees beside him. He was desperately trying to breathe while blood spilled out of his chest. She leaned over him, her hands ghosting over his body helplessly. "Hector, stay with me!", she begged him. His eyes met hers and he tried to speak, but all that he got out were rattling breaths. "Don't you dare!", Mary growled. He grabbed her hand, hardly able to hold onto it. He was still fighting to say something. Mary broke into sobs. "Don't you dare." His eyes shone with a storm of unspoken emotions and then there was nothing but emptiness.

Mary felt Elizabeth's hand touching her shoulder gently. "I'm sorry", she whispered.

"Leave", Mary whispered back, a dangerously calm fury growing within her. Will and Jack were standing on either side of Elizabeth, feeling a little bit of guilt at seeing Mary so distressed.

"Warned ya about this", Jack pointed out, earning himself an angry glare from Elizabeth.

"I'm sorry, Mary", Elizabeth said again.

"That won't bring him back", Mary stated coldly.

"We should return to the Dauntless", Elizabeth told her. "Come with us."

"No", Mary said.

"But…", Elizabeth began.

"LEAVE!", Mary bellowed. The two men raised their hands apologetically and waited for Elizabeth to join them. She hesitated, but eventually gave up and together they disappeared.

Mary remained frozen to the spot, Barbossa's hand which she had held onto sliding out of her numb fingers. Hot tears were stinging in her eyes and fell freely. Finally she was able to move at which point the Dauntless was long gone. She picked up the apple and sat next to Barbossa's lifeless body as if she was guarding him. His blue eyes had lost their glow, staring at the dark ceiling. Her fingertips touched his cheek, wincing at the feeling of a fading warmth. "I'm sorry, Hector", she whispered. "I'm so sorry." With shaking hands, she closed his eyes. "What am I going to do now?", she asked into the emptiness. The Pearl was in the hands of Gibbs and Barbossa's crew dead or captured aboard the Dauntless. She was on her own and she had no idea what she should, could, even wanted to do. For hours she sat there, shivering and crying, despairing at a lack of options. And then Mary Smyth calmed and stood up, looking around the cave filled with treasure. "I'm a pirate", she said. "I will always be a pirate." She grabbed a bunch of coins, enough to last her a few months and stuffed them away. Her gaze fell upon Barbossa one last time, memorizing every detail of his appearance, particularly his face. She had no choice but to leave him amongst all his treasure and live on without him. "Until we meet again beyond our beloved horizon, Captain", Mary said, then forcing herself to turn around and walk away, not to look back, but forward, one destination in mind: Tortuga.

* * *

 **A review would be great!**


	6. Two Hornpipes

**Author's note: Hi there, sorry for the wait! Life got busy. I hope to reduce breaks between chapters again - got about 30 chapters total planned so still a lot of work to do. ;)**

 **Some wondered in the reviews if Mary would be the one to get Tia Dalma involved in Hector's resurrection, but I decided to go with the movies as fas as Tia goes. Mary has a different plan entirely... Enjoy the chapter! And let me know what you think :)**

* * *

The black sails of the Pearl were easily spotted from the high cliffs towering above the sea to Tortuga's left. It was late afternoon when she laid anchor. Mary was watching the crew disembark from above, using her new fancy spyglass, which she had won from an old sailor during a game of cards just a few nights back. The Pearl hadn't been in Tortuga for over a month which was unusual as Jack Sparrow was very fond of his visits and his rum locker in constant need of refilling. Mary had suspected at first that the Pearl had been caught by the Brits, but then rumours had reached her that the ship had been spotted ashore one of the wild islands. There was something going on. Through her spyglass she counted hardly a dozen crew members. So something serious had happened. And she was going to find out what it was. On her way down from the cliffs which she knew so well by now she could have walked it with closed eyes and one leg, she was trying to drown all thoughts of revenge. How often had she had the chance to murder Jack Sparrow in the past few months when he had walked the streets of Tortuga drunk, unaware that she was on the island. But she had always resisted. It would do her no good. She wouldn't feel better. She wouldn't get Hector back. She would only get her hands dirty and have the wrath of Jack's crew to face. No, she wouldn't take revenge. Maybe one day she would get some sort of justice, but she would leave that for fate to decide.

Walking through the muddy streets of Tortuga, she kept to the shadows. She soon came upon Gibbs who was making an announcement in the square. "Captain Sparrow will be hiring sailors tonight at the _Faithful Bride_ ", he shouted, before moving on to announce it elsewhere. Jack Sparrow was short of a crew. And Mary was going to find out why.

She knew the tavern well by now, having spent a lot of time drinking and gambling at the _Faithful Bride_ , only to retreat to her shabby room a few streets away which she had rented from a terrible woman. Looking back at how she had spent her time since Hector's death, she could only be disgusted by herself. She was drinking away her share of the treasure, achieving nothing. No crew, no ship, no captain, not a real pirate. It was high time to change that.

…

Mary was standing on the gallery on the first floor, overlooking the serving room underneath her. Gibbs had set up a table with a list for signing up. Jack was sitting in the corner behind him, fumbling with his compass. Mary noticed that his hat was missing which was the second odd thing in plain view about Jack Sparrow since he had turned up. Mary hadn't expected an enthusiastic mob of pirates to join the Pearl, not under such mysterious circumstances which surely others had noticed as well, but the line of five men, shabby, poor men even, was somewhat disappointing. Mary moved to eavesdrop on Jack and his first mate.

"How are we going?", Jack asked, focused on his compass.

"Including those four, that gives us four", Gibbs replied annoyed. Jack didn't seem to be bothered as he closed his compass and shook it intensely as if that would fix it. Gibbs sighed and turned to the fifth and last sailor in line. "And what's your story?", he asked with faked interest.

"My story", a deep voice and a posh English accent repeated. "It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a man across the seven seas."

Gibbs looked slightly confused and Jack was all of a sudden paying attention to the table, eyeing the man suspiciously. Mary knew him. She had only met him briefly and then he had looked respectable which was hard to believe at the dirty, unshaved, drunk, sorry state he was in now. "The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life", he continued, grabbing the bottle of rum standing on the table when he had finished, taking a huge gulp.

"Commodore?", Gibbs asked in disbelief.

Norrington growled. "No, not any more. Weren't you listening?" He leaned onto the table to which Gibbs leaned back in his chair, a hint of fear on his face. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli."

Jack grabbed a huge leave from a nearby plant to hide himself behind it. _Bloody coward_.

"I would have, if not for the hurricane", Norrington breathed angrily.

Gibbs' face fell. "Lord. You didn't try to sail through it?"

Norrington ignored the question to which the answer was so obvious. "So, do I make your crew or not?", he asked.

Gibbs was visibly trying to get out of the situation without any idea how.

"You haven't said where you're going", Norrington commented. "Somewhere nice?!", he shouted and threw the table over, sending Gibbs to the floor and drawing everyone's attention to him. Even the music stopped. "So, am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?", he asked, marching into the middle of the room, the bottle of rum still in hand. Jack was holding the plant in front of him as if that made him less easy to spot. Norrington drew his gun and pointed it at Jack's head who stopped. "Or should I just kill you now?", Norrington asked.

Jack eyed the former Commodore and moved from one side of a beam to the other to find the pistol following him. "Yar hired", he said with a grin. Mary caught herself hoping that Norrington would just fire. The Brit smiled. "Sorry. Old habits and all that", he apologised, pulling the trigger, only missing as two sailor disturbed his aim by grabbing him.

"Easy, sailor!", one shouted.

"That's our captain you're threatening", the second added. The shot went off and hit the iron chandelier which deflected the bullet that then went on flying to break a pirate's bottle. Mary rolled her eyes, knowing all too well what was bound to happen next. The drunk pirate took offense at his broken bottle and turned to punch the next best pirate in the face, starting a fight that spread through the entire tavern in less than five seconds. The music was back up again, playing a fast, merry tune that only spurred the pirates present on to fight more intensely. Mary was somewhat save where she stood, having to duck a few flying bottles now and again. Gibbs and Jack were making their way out while Norrington found himself in the middle of the fight. With a drawn sword he fought off up to five drunk pirates, being at a disadvantage due to his even more drunk state. But a young sailor came to his aid, covering his flank for him. It took Mary a moment to recognise the sailor and identify her as Elizabeth. She watched how she fought off the men with ease, surely having been taught by Will how to use a sword properly. She and Norrington had their backs to a beam. "Come on, then! Who wants some? Form an orderly line and I'll have you all, one by one. Come on, who's first?", he shouted, standing no chance as a dozen pirates were eyeing him angrily. Elizabeth rolled her eyes, grabbed the bottle from his hand and smashed it over his head, knocking him out. Upon the disappointing looks from the men who had hoped for a proper beating, she said: "I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself." At that the men cheered, picking Norrington up to carry him to the pigsty outside. Mary followed, watching as they threw him into the mud, cheering and returning to drinking. Elizabeth was left alone with him. Hesitantly she knelt at his side, turning him on his back. "James Norrington. What has the world done to you?", she asked. He didn't reply, but lowered his gaze ashamed.

"I could ask you the same thing", Mary said, moving from the shadows. Elizabeth startled and jumped to her feet, ready to fight.

Mary laughed. "Is that how you ladies greet old friends? Or are you perhaps a proper pirate now?", Mary wondered, gesturing at Elizabeth's clothes.

"Long story", Elizabeth said. "It's good to see you!"

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Is it? And why is that?"

"I need help", Elizabeth explained.

"Ah, well, I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request", Mary replied, holding Elizabeth's gaze that turned from hopeful to disappointed.

"And why are you disinclined?"

"Last time I struck a bargain with you, I lost everything. And don't start telling me it wasn't your fault. I know it wasn't your fault. Yet I'd rather not put myself at risk once again."

"I'm sorry for what happened. I truly am. But I assume you know that too", Elizabeth said, accepting Mary's words which she had not expected. "Would you at least accompany me to the docks so we can catch up?"

Mary's face softened. "I have no objection to that." She turned to Norrington. "You might want to throw a bucket or two of water over yourself."

"I won't be listening to a pirate", Norrington hiccupped while he got to his feet.

"And yet you signed up to sail under the command of one", Mary pointed out.

The two women walked ahead of Norrington who was too drunk and too busy throwing up to keep up with them.

"The East India Trading Company turned up and ruined my wedding day. They arrested Will and me for helping Jack. And Beckett offered a deal to Will to save our lifes."

"Well, no need to fulfil any deal anymore since you are both out of prison", Mary shrugged.

"It's not that simple. We had no intention of becoming pirates."

"Neither did I, but now that I am I would say I'm better off."

"Better off? Sounds like you had a good time."

"It's been a little more than seven months since Hector died and I had a horrible time", Mary corrected. "But at least I had my freedom and was my own master."

Elizabeth got no chance to reply as they had reached the docks where Sparrow was eyeing his new crew members as they loaded the ship.

"Captain Sparrow!", Elizabeth shouted, getting his attention.

"Come to join me crew, lad? Welcome aboard!", he shouted over his shoulder, not taking even one look at Elizabeth, clearly not having recognised her voice.

"I'm here to find the man I love", Elizabeth replied, causing Jack to stop and exchange a glance with Gibbs.

"I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea", he said.

Mary had to smile at this quite ridiculous exchange, but was distracted as Norrington leaned over some barrels to puke into the ocean.

"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow", Elizabeth explained.

Jack whirled around while a look of recognition spread over Gibbs' face.

"Elizabeth", Jack breathed, turning to Gibbs. "Hide the rum", he whispered and then turning back. "Ya now, these clothes do not flatter ya at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin", he said.

"Jack!", Elizabeth interrupted his speech. "I know Will came to find you. Where is he?"

Jack sighed. "Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell ya this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew."

Elizabeth frowned. "Davy Jones?"

Jack nodded and was distracted by Norrington who puked again. "Oh please. The captain of the _Flying Dutchman_?"

"Ya look bloody awful. What are ya doing here?"

"You hired me", Norrington reminded him. "I can't help it if your standards are lax."

"Hang on a minute", Mary said. "Davy Jones is real?"

"What are ya doing here?", Jack exclaimed. "What is this?"

"It's called a messy past", Mary replied. "You haven't answered my question. Is Jones real?"

"Ya smell funny", he told Norrington, ignoring Mary.

"Jack!", Elizabeth stopped him. "All I want is to find Will."

Jack eyed her for a moment, obviously having one of his ideas. "Are ya certain? Is that what ya really want most?"

"Of course", Elizabeth replied firmly.

"Because I would think ya'd want to find a way to save Will most."

"And you'd have a way of doing that?", Elizabeth wondered.

"Well, there is a chest."

"Oh dear", Norrington interrupted him, shutting up when Mary elbowed him fiercely.

"A chest of unknown size and origin."

"What contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones", Pintel said as he maneuvered a casket of rum around them with Ragetti who recreated the beating heart with his hand and made heart beat noises.

"And whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants", Jack continued. "Including saving brave William from his grim fate."

"You don't actually believe him, do you?", Norrington asked.

"Davy Jones has the power to release souls from the locker", Mary said. "Doesn't he?"

"Well, aye, but he never does", Jack replied irritated.

Elizabeth however understood where Mary was going with this. "How would we find it?"

Jack grinned and held his compass to her. "With this. My compass is unique."

"Unique here having the meaning of broken", Norrington commented.

"I cannot believe the following is actually going to leave my lips, but you just became the most annoying person I know, despite having Sparrow for competition", Mary told him angrily.

"Oh, thank you", Jack said. "And true enough. This compass does not point north."

"Where does it point?", Elizabeth asked.

"It points to the thing ya want most in this world", Jack revealed.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Jack, are you telling the truth?"

"Every word, love. And what ya want most in this world is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?", he asked, placing the compass in her hands.

"To save Will", she corrected.

"By finding the chest of Davy Jones", Jack continued, opening the compass and stepping away, leaving Elizabeth with the spinning compass that slowly settled on one direction. Jack took a look. "Mr. Gibbs!", he shouted.

"Cap'n", the first mate replied.

"We have our heading", Jack announced.

"Finally!", Gibbs exclaimed. "Cast off those lines. Weigh anchor and crowd that canvas!", he ordered.

Jack pointed to the ship. "Miss Swann. Miss Smyth. Welcome aboard."

Elizabeth and Mary walked side by side on deck. "You're thinking about getting Jones to resurrect Barbossa, don't you?"

"Worth a try", Mary replied.

"So we're back to saving our men?"

"It seems so", Mary answered with a smirk.


	7. Wheel of Fortune

The crow's nest was probably the most dangerous place on a ship, offering a deep fall to anyone being careless. But it was also the most peaceful place on a ship. The one place where Mary was alone. And after one day back aboard the Pearl being alone was what she desperately needed. If it wasn't bad enough that everything on the ship reminded her of Hector when he was alive, it also reminded her of the fact that he was dead. Sparrow was parading around on deck like the whole world belonged to him. The crew was lacking discipline, even for pirate standards. And she was once again the outsider. She preferred escaping all that by climbing all the way up into the crow's nest, where the air seemed fresher and the view was calming. For hours she let her gaze wander along the horizon, watching the sun on her daily journey as she made the surface of the ocean sparkle, thinking of nothing. Such calm she hadn't felt in months. And when she finally let thoughts allow to flood her mind again, she felt stronger and more determined than before. Getting Davy Jones to bring back Hector was by far the worst plan she had ever come up with. Even calling it a plan seemed foolish. But it was a starting point. If Jones was real, so was the locker. And the locker was a place. Places could be travelled to and if her plan to command Jones with the help of owning his heart would fail, she would find a way to get to that place, no matter how little hope there was. Mary loved Hector. He had been her captain, her ally and her friend. And she was getting him back, one way or the other.

Mary leaned onto the tiny rail of the nest and looked down onto deck. There was nothing much going on, but she spotted Elizabeth and Jack. They were standing not far from the stairs to the quarter deck. Gibbs was with them. Jack was holding a document that seemed to be very official. He was pulling a disgusted face at it. The wind was kind enough to carry the conversation all the way up to her.

"Beckett?", Gibbs asked, spitting the name out with hate and a hint of fear.

"Yes, they're signed", Elizabeth said, surely referring to the documents. "Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company."

"Will was working for Beckett and never said a word", Gibbs concluded. "Beckett wants the compass and there can be only one reason for that.

"Of course", Jack replied. "He wants the chest."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, he did say something about a chest."

"If the company controls the chest, they control the sea", Gibbs explained.

"A truly discomfiting notion, love", Jack agreed.

"And bad", Gibbs added. "Bad for every mother's son what call himself pirate." He looked up into the sails, causing Mary to lean back to avoid detection. "I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails." He walked off. "Brace the foreyard!", he shouted.

"Might I enquire as to how you came by these?", Jack asked Elizabeth, waving the documents in front of her face.

"Persuasion", she replied coldly.

"Friendly?"

"Decidedly not."

Mary smirked. As much as Elizabeth disagreed, she had become a pirate. And a decent one at that. Mary leaned back against the mast when Elizabeth and Jack walked further down the ship and eavesdropping was pointless. Knowing that Beckett wanted the chest didn't matter much to her. Not yet with them being ahead. Of all the people, she knew off wanting the chest her worst rival was Jack. She had underestimated him once and wouldn't make the same mistake twice. When Mary's attention returned to the deck, Elizabeth and Sparrow were sitting on the stairs to the quarter deck and it seemed as though Jack was trying to seduce her. And she seemed to have a hard time resisting, because when she walked away and he continued his advances, she stopped trying to put him off again. Mary frowned at the sight. Maybe staying in the crow's nest hadn't been such a good idea for she clearly had missed a significant part of the things going on below her. Out of the corner of her eye she registered a change in view and when she turned saw land in the distance. "Land, ho!", she shouted, appearing to have interrupted an almost kiss between Jack and Elizabeth. She grabbed a rope and jumped, swinging onto the deck swiftly. Jack was hurrying to the cabin, leaving Elizabeth to eye the island they were sailing towards. "Joining me in pairing up with a pirate?", Mary asked casually.

Elizabeth turned, a disgusted expression dominating her features. "What? No!"

"Then what was that?", Mary asked, leaning her head in the direction of Jack.

"What?"

"That!", Mary said, gesturing wildly.

"We were just talking", Elizabeth defended herself, rolling her eyes. "You are the one for loving a pirate."

Mary's face hardened. "Would have worked fine hadn't you come along." With that she walked off, before she would do anything stupid.

…

The atmosphere in the longboat was tense. Pintel and Ragetti were bickering. Norrington eyed everyone annoyed and Elizabeth was uncomfortable sitting next to Mary who didn't like any of the current company.

"You're pulling too fast!", Pintel complained.

"You're pulling too slow!", Ragetti countered. "We don't want the kraken to catch us."

"I'm saving me strength for when it comes. And I don't think it's _kracken_ anyways. I always heard it said _krayken_ ", Pintel replied.

"With a long a?", Ragetti wondered and got a growled _yes_ from Pintel. "No, no, no. _Krocken_ is how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian, and _kracken_ is closer to that."

"We ain't Scandinavians, are we? _Krayken_!"

"It's a mythological creature, I can call it what I want", Ragetti defended himself. Reaching the shore was a relief as it ended the babbling of these two. Jack ordered them to stay with the boat while they went out to get Jones' chest. Mary didn't know yet what she would do once they actually had it, but she had a feeling that something would come up.

They walked along the beach for maybe two miles. They were still in sight of the longboat when they turned towards the island's centre. Between two dunes Elizabeth gave up. "This doesn't work. And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most!", she ranted and sat down where she stood, dropping the compass next to her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared grumpily into the sand. Mary sighed, leaning onto the shovel she had been carrying all the way from the longboat. Jack walked over to Elizabeth and bowed down, eyeing the compass that was settling slowly. "Yes, it does", he corrected her. "Yar sitting on it."

Elizabeth blinked and looked up at him, squinting at the sunlight. "Beg your pardon?"

"Move", Jack said, waving with his hands as if he tried to get an annoying insect out of his way. Elizabeth got up while Jack whistled at Norrington and gestured for him to start digging. Not convinced of the order and certainly not amused by being whistled at like a dog, Norrington moved to dig. Mary joined him reluctantly, but her curiosity got the better of her. They digged a hole, that maybe had the depth of a sloppily digged grave, when both their shovels hit something hard that sounded like hollow wood. They stopped, looking at each other, surprised that they had found anything at all. Elizabeth and Jack stood closely and eventually helped when they freed the wooden chest from the sand and pulled it up. Norrington used the shovel to break the lock. Together they opened it. Inside were dozens of letters and documents, covering a smaller iron chest which Jack pulled out immediately. They could all tell that this chest could only be opened with a key. As if they could read each other's minds they moved closer to the chest to check if they could hear the heart. And indeed the sound of a strongly beating heart echoed from within.

"It's real", Elizabeth said, both confused and disgusted.

"So you actually were telling the truth", Norrington remarked with a surprised smile on his face.

Jack turned to him, raising his eyebrows. "I do that quite a lot, yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!", Turner's voice came from behind them.

"Oi, I was just about to say that!", Mary complained as she got up to eye the new arrival. He was soaked through and a little out of breath.

"Will!", Elizabeth exclaimed happily and relieved. "You're all right! Thank God! I came to find you!" She ran towards him, catching him in a deep kiss. Mary, Jack and Norrington each pulled their own face at the sight. Mary rolled her eyes, Jack seemed confused and Norrington frustrated.

"How did you get here?", Jack asked.

"Sea turtles, mate. A pair of them, strapped to my feet", Will explained.

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, like that's bloody likely."

"Not so easy, is it?", Jack wondered.

Mary eyed him, before rolling her eyes. "Why am I even surprised?"

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack", Will said sincerely.

"Ya do?", Jack asked.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones…", Will said, only a hint of anger in his voice.

"What?", Elizabeth asked.

"What?", Jack repeated, pretending he didn't know what Will was talking about.

"… I was reunited with my father", Will finished.

"Oh, well, yar welcome then", Jack shrugged.

"Everything you said to me, every word was a lie!", Elizabeth accused Jack, closing the distance between them.

"Does that really surprise you?", Mary wondered, shrugging apologetically when Elizabeth glared at her.

"Pretty much", Jack admitted. "Time and tide, love."

Will ignored the argument, drawing a knife. He knelt in front of the chest, knife at the ready and the key in the other hand.

"Oi! What are ya doing?", Jack wanted to know.

"I'm going to kill Jones", Will replied.

Jack drew his sword, pointing it at Will's neck. "I can't let ya do that. Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?"

Will got up slowly. "Now, if you please, the key", Jack demanded, holding his hand to Will who pretended to be willing to give up the key, before moving quickly to draw Elizabeth's sword. "I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it."

Now Norrington drew his sword as well. "I can't let you do that either. So sorry."

"I knew ya'd warm up to me eventually", Jack told Norrington with a smile to which Norrington replied by pointing his sword no longer at Will but at Jack. Will in turn pointed his at Jack who after a moment's confusion at facing Norrington's sword moved to point his at Will.

"Lord Beckett desires the content of that chest. I deliver it, I get my life back", Norrington explained himself.

"Ah, the dark side of ambition", Jack commented.

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption", Norrington countered, before moving in first to attack. Elizabeth took a few steps back and let out a surprised scream at the sight of the three men dueling each other. Mary stood next to her, watching the situation calmly.

"Stop it!", Elizabeth screeched as the men ran off fighting. Norrington kicked Will in the guts, sending him to the ground as he himself was now free to run after Jack who had taken the key from Will.

"Will!", Elizabeth shouted, running to his side.

"Guard the chest", he ordered, before getting up and running after the others.

"No!", Elizabeth screamed. "This is barbaric! This is no way for grown men to… Ah, fine! Let's just haul out our swords and start banging away at each other. That will solve everything!", she screamed at the top of her lungs, her words dripping with sarcasm. Mary watched amused, wondering what the spectacle had to offer next.

"I've had it! I've had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates!", Elizabeth finished her rant out of breath. She looked at the ground and grabbed some stones to throw them in the general direction of the three fighters without any real chance of hitting them. She eventually stopped, trying to come up with another way of stopping the fight. "Oh, oh", she exclaimed, holding her hand to her forehead. "The heat!" And then she dropped into the sand, pretending to faint. It didn't stop the fight. The men didn't even look in her direction once. She blinked and found herself looking up at Mary who was standing with her hands across her chest, judging Elizabeth with one raised eyebrow. "Really?", she asked. "You thought that would work?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"For doing what?"

"Stopping them!", Elizabeth shouted frustrated and sat up.

"Why would I want to stop them?", Mary asked. Upon Elizabeth's confused look Mary clarified: "The three men responsible for Barbossa's death are trying to kill each other. Why the bloody hell would I do anything to stop them?"

Elizabeth gaped at her in shock. "What?"

"On second thought… There is something I can do." Mary drew her sword. "I can make sure they kill each other successfully." And then she ran after the three men.

…

Ragetti had watched them for a bit when Pintel arrived out of breath. "How'd this go all screwy?", he asked.

"Well, each wants the chest for hisself, don't they? Mr. Norrington, I think, is trying to regain a bit of honour. Old Jack's looking to trade it, save his own skin. Then Turner, there, I think he's trying to settle some unresolved business 'twixt him and his twice-cursed father and then there is Miss Smyth who wants revenge for the death of our old captain, Barbossa," Ragetti explained.

"Sad", Pintel commented as Elizabeth was heard screaming in the distance: "This is madness!"

"That chest must be worth more than a shiny penny", Pintel concluded.

"Terrible temptation", Ragetti replied.

"If we were any kind of decent, we'd remove temptation from their path", Pintel suggested. They exchanged a look and sneaked off to get the chest. When they ran passed Elizabeth, she followed to stop them.

Meanwhile Mary had caught up to the three men, staying at a small distance, only to interfere should one try to escape the fight. They had run far into the island's centre, reaching a ruined old church which bell was still working when they got the rope caught up in their fight. Mary climbed after them into the tower and over the roof towards a water wheel where they disarmed Jack. Norrington turned to Turner. "Do excuse me while I kill the man who ruined my life."

"Be my guest", Will replied.

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, shall we? Who was it, that at the very moment ya had a notorious pirate safely behind bars, saw fit to free said pirate and take yar dearly beloved all to hisself?", Jack wondered, making Norrington and Turner both think. "So, whose fault is it, really, that you've ended up a rum-pot deckhand what takes orders from pirates?"

"Enough!", Norrington bellowed, swinging his sword at the weaponless Jack who was only able to avoid the strike by jumping inelegantly off the roof.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Turner, he's right!", Norrington admitted, attacking Will with force, restarting the fierce duel between them. Mary could be sure that these two would be at each other's throats until a winner was determined, so she would go after Jack. For a moment she thought of jumping after him, but given the height and the uneven ground she decided against it. Instead, she ran back to the tower and took the stairs. When she reached the graveyard at the back where she had seen Jack last, he was gone. She cursed, sprinting in the direction he would have most likely gone, finding him stuck in an empty grave.

"Fate seems to be on my side today", Mary commented, grinning down at Jack.

"Would ya give me a hand?", Jack asked, ignoring her remark.

"Absolutely not", Mary replied. "I'm going to stay right here. Either you stay stuck and die or you make it out in which case…" She drew her pistol and unlocked it, having it ready to fire. "I shall shoot you right back in there."

Jack twitched a little. "This is about Hector, isn't it?"

"Aye", Mary said. "Whom you murdered, remember?"

"I had good reason to do so", Jack reminded her.

"I beg to differ. You were the wrong captain for that crew of ruthless blackguards. You wouldn't have kept the Pearl with them under your command either way. So, Hector being your friend did the only sensible thing: Leading a mutiny against you before anyone else could come up with that. And then he left you on an island…"

"To die. He left me to die", Jack spat out.

"No", Mary said, shaking her head. "This is Hector we are talking about. Do you honestly believe he didn't know smugglers used the island? He knew, Jack. And he knew you too. Knew that you would escape one way or the other and come back to take revenge. And that is the part where he had his money on you being smart. Understanding that he had saved you. Cause had any of the other pirates led the mutiny they would have killed you, believe me. But you didn't figure that. And he was too damaged by the curse to outplay you."*

"And where may I ask are ya getting yar information from since Hector surely didn't tell ya this from beyond the grave", Jack said.

"I've had seven months to think about it, Jack. To gather information. And to answer your question from our first meeting: Yes, Hector does care about others. It's why he's dead." She pointed the gun directly at Jack's head now. "So, I dare you to crawl out of that hole, Captain Sparrow."

"Ya won't shoot me", he said, beginning his efforts to climb out.

"I don't make the same mistake twice", Mary warned him, but he ignored her. He made it almost all the way up when the sound of cracking wood was heard in the distance. Mary turned back to the church where the water wheel had broken off and was now rolling towards the graveyard, crashing through the wooden fence. On top where Norrington and Turner, still dueling. Mary took a few steps back, looking at the sight in disbelief. The wheel turned and rolled over Jack who got caught in a hole and was pulled into the wheel with a scream. And then all three rolled away. Mary lowered her gun. "Brilliant", she muttered, putting her flintlock away and drawing her sword instead, running after them. The wheel was headed for the jungle where it miraculously found a way through the trees. Mary saw Jack fall off and closed the distance enough to take a shot at him. He winced while running after the wheel, looking over his shoulder. "Missed!", he shouted. Mary cursed and followed. She had closed the distance almost fully when she saw a lot of movement in the corner of her eye. She slowed to look, spotting a bunch of ugly pirates covered in… stuff. It could only be Jones' cursed crew. They were chasing Pintel and Ragetti who had the chest, followed by Elizabeth. Mary watched as the two pirates got stuck at a tree, dropping the chest. Mary didn't have to think twice about what to do. She gave up on her chase of the three men and ran to save the chest, helping Elizabeth fight them off which proved difficult as they had to share three swords amongst the four of them. While Mary wasn't surprised to find herself fighting an undead crew, she would have preferred not to meet any more undead pirates. The fight drew them away from the chest, until Mary steered it back. Pintel and Ragetti picked up the chest and ran for it, followed by Elizabeth and Mary who was now holding two swords. "To the beach!", she shouted. "Get to the boat!"

Upon reaching the beach the wheel caught up with them, running over more than half the Dutchman's crew, giving them enough time to retreat to the boat where they were cornered by the fish pirates, but at least a little stronger in number than before as Jack and Norrington joined them. Only Will was lying in the boat unconscious for some reason. Elizabeth attempted to take care of him, but was stopped by Jack. "Leave him lie! Unless ya plan on using him to hit something with it", he said, looking around.

"We're not getting out of this", Elizabeth said, upon seeing them surrounded by undead pirates.

"Not with the chest", Norrington pointed out. "Into the boat", he ordered.

"You're mad!", Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Don't wait for me", he told them and ran off, back towards the jungle.

"I say we respect his final wish", Mary suggested.

"Aye!", Pintel agreed. They jumped into the boat, getting away from the beach quickly as Pintel and Ragetti chose to row evenly fast this time.

* * *

 ***Author's Note: The theory about Hector abandoning Jack on the island to save his life came a bit out of nowhere, but since I firmly believe that Barbossa is very smart, I feel like it wouldn't make sense to claim Barbossa had no idea that Jack was capable of escaping that island. It also adds a nice touch to their status as "frenemies" - let me know what you think :)**

 **To the guest reviewer wondering if I dislike Jack: I don't really, but I also don't care too much. And I don't feel like Mary dislikes him completely either, but she is rather hardcore Team Barbossa.**


	8. The Kraken

**Author's note: Sorry for keeping you all waiting. The good news are that I will be able to update somewhat more frequently again in the near future. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Back aboard the ship, Mary followed Sparrow up to the quarterdeck. She meant to confront him about the whereabouts of the heart, but Gibbs got in the way. He stumbled up behind them. "Where's the commodore?", he asked.

"Fell behind", Sparrow answered casually, as if Gibbs had just asked him about the weather. He strode towards the helm, jar of dirt in hand.

"May prayers be with him", Gibbs mumbled in earnest, before his face changed. "Best not wallow in our grief."

Jack had reached the helm now with Gibbs catching up to him. "The bright side is you're back and made it off free and clear", Gibbs announced happily. Just as he said that, with Mary eyeing them from the helm, the sea next to them exploded and released the monstrosity of a cursed ship that was the Flying Dutchman. Water splashed off its deck where the crew stood at the railing, weapons drawn, growling and screaming. Mary easily spotted Jones. He stood on the quarterdeck overlooking the scene like a king taking in the sight of his realm. His tentacle face displayed a smug grin. And while things were already looking pretty bad in Mary's book, Sparrow made it worse by talking.

"Oi, fishface!", he shouted, getting the fish crew's attention as well as their confused silence. "Loose something? Eh?", he asked, holding up the jar of dirt. Mary frowned. _Had he left his brain on the island?_ And then he fell down the stairs, crashing onto the lower deck with a thud. Mary leaned onto the helm to get a better look at him, secretly hoping that he had broken his neck, but to her disappointment he reappeared. Well, at least the jar of dirt did, still held securely by his hands. "Got it!", he assured everyone proudly and then the rest of his body showed up. He was grinning. "Come to negotiate, eh, have ya, ya slimy git?"

Mary's right hand grabbed the helm so tightly that her knuckles went white. _What the bloody hell was he doing?_

"I've got a jar of dirt! I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it", he sang happily, parading over deck, waving with his stupid jar of dirt. Mary only dared to give Jones a side glance. He had one eyebrow raised, but then his expression turned to an angry grimace and he turned to a shark head, clearly saying something to him. Just moments later the Dutchman's cannon holes opened, removing the grin from Sparrow's face. Mary grabbed the wheel with both hands now, the urge to turn it almost unbearable. And then the cannons emerged from the dark holes silently, ready to fire death. That was when Mary heard Elizabeth scream: "Hard starboard!"

Mary didn't have to be told twice. As fast as she could she turned the wheel and the ship away from the Dutchman, knowing that their lives depended on it. The Pearl was a ship that answered quickly to maneuvers and had turned its back to Jones in moments. Sails were set, but the broadside that went off behind them still smashed through wood, making the ship roar in anger. Mary could feel how the Captain's cabin beneath her suffered the blow. There was nothing more Mary could do, but to hope that the sails could gather enough speed to allow them to escape.

"She's on us! She's on us!", Pintel shouted, warning Mary that the Dutchman was in pursuit. Due to that fact she was irritated when two cannonballs hit the Pearl and more shots were heard being fired. But then she remembered that some ships had room for bug-cannons. Knowing that their angle was limited, she adjusted their course. Sparrow tried to take the wheel from her, but she pushed him away. "I know what I'm doing", she told him. _I sailed under Hector_ , she added in thought. The cannon balls missed, as Mary did what on land would have been called zigzagging, avoiding sailing in a straight line which made it impossible for the cannoneers to get a hit. And then they had beaten the Dutchman, the wind in their favor. The crew celebrated.

Will stepped up to Jack. "My father is on that ship. If we can outrun her, we can take her. We should turn and fight."

"Why fight when ya can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage," Jack replied, tapping his fingers on the jar. And then a jolt went through the ship that threw Mary into the helm rather painfully. The ship came to a halt. The jar of dirt fell onto the lower deck where it splintered. Mary left the helm, leaning over the railing to look down at Jack who was searching the sand. "Where is it?", he asked in panic. "Where is the thump-thump?"

Mary rolled her eyes. The idiot had had the heart and he lost it. Typical. She hurried down the stairs, joining Elizabeth who was leaning over, studying the sea to figure out what had happened.

"We must have hit a reef!", someone shouted.

"No. It's not a reef!", Will shouted. "Get away from the rail!", he told Elizabeth, pulling her back. Alarmed by his worried and slightly scared voice, Mary stepped back immediately as well.

"What is it?", Elizabeth asked.

"The kraken", Will replied. Mary exchanged a concerned look with Gibbs.

"To arms!", Will shouted.

"Load the guns! Defend the mast!", Mary ordered.

"It'll attack the starboard. Run out the cannons and hold for my signal!", Will added, grabbing a sword. While the crew rushed to follow the orders, Mary stayed with Elizabeth on deck, both weapons in hand. And then she heard it. The sound of slimy tentacles crawling up the side of the ship, cracking us they moved and curled unnaturally. They rose above their heads, calmly tightening the grip on the ship. Finally, Will ordered to fire. The cannons went off, roaring angrily and spitting fire at the intruder. The cannon balls left holes in the tentacles that seemed to hurt the monster quite a bit for it retreated quickly to the depths of the ocean. Unfortunately, not without smashing onto deck before that, destroying the longboats, knocking Mary and Elizabeth over.

"It'll be back", Will warned, pulling them to their feet. "We have to get off the ship."

"There's no boats", Elizabeth pointed out.

Will turned, looking at the destruction the kraken had left without attacking properly. Then he seemed to have an idea. "Pull the grates. Get all the gunpowder onto the net in the cargo hold!"

Mary got what he was planning to do and rushed under deck to see it done. The crew was capable of fulfilling orders swiftly, she had to give them that. On her way back up, Gibbs stopped her. "There's only half a dozen kegs of powder!", he told her.

"Then load the rum!", Mary ordered, allowing no arguing with that. She left Gibbs to it and hurried on deck, making sure her pistol was loaded and grabbing a rifle. Should Elizabeth not fire, she would, no matter whether or not Will was safe.

She joined Elizabeth at the rail, following her disgusted and angry look towards the sea. Already quite the distance away was Jack, roaring towards land. "You coward", Elizabeth breathed.

"Aye", Mary agreed. Then another jolt went through the ship, mightier than the one before, throwing both of them onto the ground. Next thing Mary knew was all hell breaking lose around her. The tentacles of the kraken forced their way into the ship, smashing holes into its sides. Mary had dropped the rifle, covering her head with her arms as the water dropped onto her from the tentacles running wild above her head. She closed her eyes, covering her ears to muffle the terrifying death screams of crew members. When she dared to open her eyes, she could see the shadows of the chaos above her dance on the planks. Men struggling in the bone-breaking hold of tentacles that crushed anything in its path, throwing men through the air before pulling them to their doom below the surface. The screams echoed in Mary's head, unlike any she had heard before. She had seen men die in fear, but they had died swiftly. Now they died in terror, painfully slow, bones cracking, limbs ripped off, before they were crushed and drowned in the cold sea. The noises made Mary shake in fear herself. Even with a skeleton crew threatening her life, she had never endured so much fear. _Pull yourself together_ , she shouted in her head, forcing herself to get to her feet. They had pulled Will already above deck. "Turner?", she shouted.

"Higher", he shouted back. Mary nodded, turning to the crew. "Pull him up! Come on!" Then her eyes widened as a tentacle crashed down, destroying the wheel with which they had pulled Will up. Fortunately, the net filled with explosives didn't fall far, but got stuck somewhere and kept dangling above deck. Will however lost his grip, one leg caught in the rope. Hanging upside down, he tried to cut himself free, but seemed unsuccessful. "Shoot! Elizabeth, shoot!", he shouted.

Mary watched Elizabeth as she aimed the rifle, her finger twitching away from the trigger. She couldn't do it and Mary didn't blame her. But it had to be done. Mary took the rifle from her, taking aim. She was aware of Elizabeth's shocked expression. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth", Mary said, lining up her shot, finger ready at the trigger. She didn't get to fire. A tentacle wrapped around her leg quickly, pulling with force. With a surprised scream she smashed face first onto deck. Elizabeth endured the same fate next to her. And then the tentacle tightened its grip further. Mary feared her leg would be crushed. It pulled them both towards the hole the Dutchman's cannons had left at the back of the captain's cabin. Elizabeth screamed and tried to hold onto anything, nails scratching the wood. Mary saw how Ragetti cut her free with an axe while her own descend to death continued. "Shoot!", she screamed at Elizabeth. "Shoot!" And then the splinters at the hole cut into her flesh, the world turned upside down and instead of the sky she had the glistening surface of the ocean above her head. The water bubbled at all the turmoil the kraken caused. It threw Mary around, through the air, almost smashing her head at the side of the ship and then down. Mary had hardly any time to take a deep breath before she was pulled into the cold. She blinked, spotting the monster in the distance. Somehow she managed to get her hands on her sword and drew it. It seemed hopeless to strike underneath water as it slowed down her movements, making them harmless. After the fourth strike, she was out of air, the sword slipping out of her hand and sinking into the depths. Her vision got blurry. Her lungs burned like hellfire, but she resisted the urge to inhale. And then her leg was free. With the might of the tentacle gone, she tried to swim to the surface. The sunlight was dancing above, mocking her. But then her head burst out of the cold and she took a huge breath of fresh air. What was left of the crew had lowered a longboat. Where it came from Mary didn't know and she didn't care. She swam towards it, passing out almost the moment strong arms grabbed her and pulled her out of the water.

Mary regained consciousness hours later. The longboat was slowly moving up a stream that was surrounded by a dark jungle. A small line of sky was visible above her head, a hundred stars sparkling. She felt weak. Her leg was numb, her mouth dry, her eyes were burning and she was cold. The sound of people humming floated gently through the air. Mary moved her head, moaning in pain. Someone put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Gibbs who was steering the boat. He seemed sad, in thought, shocked. Everyone on board was quiet. She realized that Jack was missing, but felt it to be inappropriate to ask. The humming and the crew's faces already told her enough.

The longboat came to a halt. Gibbs and Pintel helped Mary to her feet and supported her as they climbed out of the boat and into a small hut. The woman occupying it had expected them or so Mary thought. When they entered, she didn't seem surprised at all. She gestured for them to sit down. Dizziness took a hold of Mary and she almost crashed to the floor. Gibbs caught her. "Easy, miss."

The woman took a look at her. Mary's leg was shaking and blood had drained her shirt where the splinters had cut into her side. "Sit down." Mary was grateful to relieve her leg. She closed her eyes as her wounds were treated. "Who are you?", she mumbled.

"Tia Dalma", the woman replied.

"Thank you", Mary breathed, wincing as the bandage tightened around her leg. When Tia Dalma was done, she disappeared in the back of the hut. No one spoke. Will played with a small knife, smashing it into the wooden table, removing it and repeating the motion. The hollow thud it made when it hid the wood echoed through the hut. Tia Dalma returned with drinks. Elizabeth shook her head when she was offered a cup. "Against the cold and the sorrow", Tia Dalma said gently and Elizabeth accepted. Mary took a cup with shaky hands. "So much grief", she told Mary who looked away. She moved on to Will. "It's a shame. I know that you're thinking that with the Pearl you could have captured the devil and free your father's soul."

Will took the cup. "Doesn't matter now. The Pearl is gone, along with its captain."

"Captains", Mary corrected. "That ship is cursed."

"Aye, yet the world already seems a bit less bright at the loss", Gibbs said. "He fooled us all right to the end, but I guess that honest streak finally won out."

Mary had no strength to get angry. Angry that Hector was treated as a villain. Angry that no one saw the pain he had endured. Angry that everyone was grieving for a man who had murdered his best friend. Yet she had to admit that in the end, he had proofed to be a decent person after all.

Gibbs raised his cup. "To Jack Sparrow!"

"Never another like Captain Jack", Ragetti sniveled.

"He was a gentleman of fortune, he was", Pintel added.

"He was a good man", Elizabeth finished.

Mary downed the rum, feeling lost once again.

"If there was anything that could be done to bring him back… Elizabeth", Will said, getting up.

"Would you do it?", Tia Dalma asked and then turned to Elizabeth. "What would you? What would any of you be willing to do, hm? Would you sail to the ends of the Earth and beyond to fetch witty Jack and him precious Pearl?"

Mary looked up. So it was possible to travel to world's end. And maybe, just maybe, there was a chance to get Hector back this way.

"Aye", Gibbs agreed, followed by everyone else.

"Aye", Mary said. "For him. For the Pearl. And for Hector."

Tia Dalma grinned. "All right. But if you go and brave the weird and haunted shores at world's end..." She turned to Mary, her grin broader and a strange sparkle in her eyes. "Then you will need a captain who knows those waters."

* * *

 **Let me know what you think and drop a review.**


	9. You'll Need a Captain

Tia Dalma turned towards the stairs. And then there were steps. Familiar steps. They had the sound of a slight limp evident in them, as well as a self-confident arrogance to them that was supported by the heavy leather boots. Mary felt herself tense up in anticipation of the face she was about to look at any moment. A face she thought she would never lay eyes on ever again, but had been engraved into her memory in every detail. She moved around Tia Dalma to get a better look and to stand ever so slightly closer to the foot of the stairs. Her injured leg was forgotten. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw how shocked expressions took over the other's faces. And then Captain Hector Barbossa reached the foot of the stairs with an arrogant grin spreading over his weathered face and a mischievous glint in his sea blue eyes. "Then tell me, what's become of me ship?", he asked and bit into a green apple with a loud crunch. The fruit's juice was running down his chin when Jack the monkey jumped onto his shoulder and Hector let out his deep laughter.

The room burst into chaos. Everyone was shouting and asking questions – except for Mary – and he was watching with growing annoyance. Tia Dalma tried to explain how she had brought Barbossa back from the dead and why, but Will seemed not interested in any of that. "Have you any idea what he did to us? How hard it was to get finally rid of him?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Will's words. She looked at the Captain who rolled his eyes, drew his pistol and fired into the roof, silencing the room. "We have a history, boy, aye," he addressed Will. "But there are more important things now that require our attention."

"Why should I trust you, Barbossa? You tried to kill me!"

"And ye tried to kill me. And if I remember correctly ye were more successful than meself so we're quit", Barbossa replied angrily.

"You tried to kill Elizabeth as well!"

"I did no such thing!", Barbossa protested. "I was as much a gentleman as a pirate like me can be."

"You have a funny definition of gentleman", Will spit back.

"Enough!", Elizabeth shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Captain Barbossa is right! If we want to get back Jack, fight Jones and Beckett, we need to work together."

Barbossa gave her an appreciative nod. Will appeared shocked that Elizabeth seemed to have no issue with Barbossa being back. She ignored her fiancé and turned to Barbossa instead. "Do you have a plan, Captain?"

"Aye", he replied, relieved to finally be able to move the conversation forward. "We need a proper ship, a crew and a specific map."

"Anything else?", Will asked annoyed.

"That should do the trick", Barbossa replied.

"And where will we get all that?", Gibbs inquired.

"Singapore."

"Might we discuss this after we've gotten some rest, Captain? We just fought off Jones' pet", Mary said, her voice steady and clear, her face showing no sign of the emotional storm raging inside her.

Everyone turned to her and seemed to agree. Barbossa gave her a somewhat longing look for a moment before he nodded. "Aye, ye should all rest."

The remains of the crew dispatched, each looking for a corner to sleep. Mary used the moment of chaos to slip outside, no longer able to hold back the tears which had already caused her face to cramp up. The air had cooled a little and she took deep breaths while she sank onto the top steps. She should have felt joy, greet him with a fierce hug, but somehow his sudden appearance had knocked so much confusion into her that she had felt dizzy and numb.

The door opened behind her and she knew that it was Hector. Mary turned her head to look at him. He seemed a little lost, not knowing what to say or do. "I thought I'd never see you again", she told him, the grief she felt within mirrored on her tear-stained face. While her mind understood that he was alive, well and without curse, her heart did not... It was beating wildly in her chest, trying to make sense of it all and to struggle free from the emptiness.

"Ye told me once I was full of surprises", he teased gently.

"Aye", Mary agreed, a small smile appearing at the memory. "Wasn't quite what I thought of then."

"Ye look well", he said.

"For almost having been eaten by Jones' Kraken just a few hours ago... I guess I can't complain about my appearance", she returned with a hint of sarcasm.

"That must have been... unpleasant", Hector offered.

Mary shrugged. "I've had worse."

Hector frowned at that. "Worse than the Kraken?"

"Losing you was worse... the worst," she said, looking at him intensely.

Hector opened his mouth as if he had some clever reply to that, but he closed it again at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry I didn't have your back", she said, her voice breaking.

"Ye did all ye could."

"Wasn't enough."

"It wasn't yer fault. I'll have no more of blamin' yerself for things out of yer hands", he told her, sounding harsher than he had intended.

Mary closed her eyes, more tears falling. "You think it's silly, don't you? That I care so much about you."

"It's not a choice... Feelings are never chosen. They just happen."

Mary raised her eyebrows at that. "And what do you feel?"

He lowered his gaze. "Losing ye would be the worst", he whispered.

Mary smiled a true smile at that though the tears kept falling. She got up, closing the distance between them. She raised a hand to touch his cheek, but hesitated. He held her gaze and leaned his cheek into the warmth of her palm. A sob shook through her body. "Hector", she said, not really sure why, but he reacted by pulling her into his arms. Holding her tightly and securely, he buried his face in her neck, causing his hat to fall off. Her arms wrapped around him, clinging onto him, worried that he might disappear. She had her eyes closed, focused on the warmth radiating through his body, the steady heartbeat and his scent that any lady would have sniffed her nose at. But Mary was no lady, not since a long time ago and she loved the smell of the ocean, sweat, sweet red wine, green apples and peanut-monkey-breath on him. When he let go of her she thought to spot a glistening of tears on his cheeks, but she chose not to press him on the matter. He had his pride and she respected that. She bent and picked up his hat, handing it to him. "I suppose we should get some rest", she suggested.

"Aye", he said and opened the door for her. At the foot of the stairs he hesitated to follow. "I can sleep elsewhere if ye want", he offered quietly to not wake any of the snoring crew members scattered across the room.

"Don't be ridiculous", Mary whispered back, taking his hand and pulling him along. The room where he had stayed for what she thought must have been a few days was small and the bed seemed even smaller, but she wasn't picky. Taking off everything but her breeches and shirt, she sat down at the edge of the bed rolling up the fabric to reveal her right leg which the Kraken had grabbed. It had started throbbing painfully. The bandage only covered the worst part of the injury. The rest was a mixture of black, blue and green with a few angry red marks.

"How did that happen?", Hector asked, joining her on the bed in an equal state of undress.

"Kraken's tentacle got a hold of me and pulled me off the ship. It let go of me just in time for me to avoid drowning."

Hector leaned his forehead against Mary's. He didn't want to think too much about how close she had been to death, let alone speak about it. "Yer save now."

"We both are for now", she breathed. Her hands found their way around his neck and she dropped a gentle kiss to his lips, his beard tickling her lightly. He smiled against her mouth and returned the kiss, pulling her closer. Her mind stopped and her body took over when he deepened the kiss, leaving them both quite breathless. "Nothin' ye don't consent to", he assured her, being silenced by yet another kiss. She had the luxury of being able to trust this man, this pirate, her treasure.

...

When she woke it was still dark outside and she only blinked sleepily, not wanting to move. Her naked back was pressed against his naked chest, their arms and legs entangled. His breath gently caressed her ear and cheek, his body warming her instead of a blanket. The gentleness he had within him had almost caused her to cry during their lovemaking before it had turned too passionate for her to waste any energy on crying. She heard a light snore and turned her head a little to figure out where it came from. It wasn't Hector, but his monkey who had curled up on their pile of clothes and was dozing peacefully. Mary closed her eyes, drifting back off to sleep with a smile on her face.

…

Hector woke at first light as had been his habit before the curse which had returned to him quite naturally when he had come back to life. He opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. Mary was lying in his arms, sleeping calmly. Her scent was filling his senses, while her naked body warmed his own. A feeling of pride broadened his smile as he thought about how she had enjoyed his attentions during the night, even more so as he had been her first. That had surprised him, yet was a reminder that she used to be a respectable young lady before she had met him. He dropped a feather light kiss to her cheek. This lady was everything to him. He had known moments before his death when the broken curse had allowed life to return to him, his feelings for her spreading through him for one moment, before death's cold grip had taken him. And when he had been resurrected, his first thought had been her. She was stirring in his arms and turned to face him. "Hello", she mumbled, sleepily kissing his cheek.

"Hello", he whispered back, raising one hand to stroke back strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

She smiled at that, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "Been awake long?", she asked.

"No", he replied, kissing her forehead. "It's still very early. The others won't be awake for another couple of hours."

"What are you proposing?", she asked, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

He chuckled. "I was thinking ye might appreciate a little more sleep, but now ye have given me other ideas", he scolded lovingly.

"Good", she breathed before kissing him deeply, leaving him quite dizzy when she broke the kiss. He made a move to pin her underneath him to the bed, but mid-movement she startled and lashed out impulsively, kicking his knee with some force in the process. He rolled back on his back and cursed, a wave of anger washing over him. "What the hell, woman!" Rubbing his knee, he sat up. "What was that about?", he growled and turned to look at her, his anger dissolving immediately. She had turned pale, cold sweat covering her face, eyes wide open in panic, her breathing too fast and her hands grabbing the sheets so tight her knuckles had turned white. "Mary?", he asked gently. He took her face in both hands and stared comfortingly into her eyes. "Mary!"

"I thought…", she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"What happened? Ye look like ye've seen the devil himself."

"My leg hurt and I thought it had grabbed me again."

Hector began to understand. "Yer safe! His pet is not goin' to get ye."

"You weren't there, Hector", she breathed. "It crushed the crew. It wanted to drown me and almost succeeded."

Hector was at a loss what to do to ease her fear and pulled her into his arms to hold her safely. He felt her relax after a while, but didn't dare to let go of her. After some time he could tell that she had nodded off and made sure she was lying comfortably in his arms. When he heard the crew downstairs, he woke Mary gently by dropping kisses to her cheek and forehead. "We should get up", he told her and sat up. He picked up their clothes and handed her the pieces belonging to her. They dressed in silence, each leaving the finishing layers on the bed to put on later. She walked to the door, but he caught her hand before she reached it. "Are ye better?"

She squeezed his hand. "Yes, all good."

One or two knowing glances greeted them downstairs, but neither Mary nor Hector cared what everyone else thought. They sat down and accepted the breakfast Tia Dalma offered.

"So, what is that business with Singapore?", Will asked, leaning back in his chair.

Hector took a sip of water. "I told ye. We need a ship, a crew and maps that lead to places beyond the horizon."

"But why Singapore?", Mary wondered.

"It's where the map is", he explained.

"And in whose possession is that map? I'll assume it's not lying around somewhere for the taking", Will said.

"It'd be lying around for the taking", Hector assured him. "By pirate standards", he added.

"We have to steal it then", Will concluded.

"Aye", Hector said.

"Who does it belong to?", Will asked again.

"Captain Sao Feng", Hector answered, making it sound like it was a name everyone should be familiar with. However, only Mary felt like she had heard the name before.

"Sounds familiar", she said with a shrug. "Anyone important?"

Hector looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Aye", he said then. "Does none of ye know about the pirate lords?"

"Aye, but never bothered to learn their names. Change too often anyways", Pintel said.

Hector glared at him. "They do not", he disagreed.

"What are pirate lords?", Elizabeth asked.

Mary hid her smile by taking a sip of her water while Hector rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Nine pirate lords to rule the seas", he began. "Sao Feng be the pirate lord of Singapore. Jack the one of the Caribbean Sea and meself holds the title for the Caspian Sea."

Elizabeth frowned. "Sounds like more than just guidelines."

Hector did have to smile at that. "Aye, that'd be more than that."

"Doesn't matter, does it?", Will wondered.

"It will once Beckett's pirate hunt begins", Hector pointed out. "But until then we should get movin'."

"We'll sail to Singapore how exactly?", Mary asked.

"I have a boat", Tia Dalma said.

Mary eyed her sceptically. "Define boat."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope this was worth the wait. The next chapter will be a longer one again, involving quite a few sequences from the movie which always slows down writing a bit. But as parts of the chapter are already finished, it should be up sometime next week or so I hope. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I always love to read what you think!  
**


	10. Singapore

**Author's note:** It has been quite some time since the last update for which I apologise! I had a bit of writer's block and struggled with this chapter much more than I expected. I tried a few different things to fit Mary into the Singapore sequence of AWE, had to figure out how much Hector PoV should be included and had to fill a few holes the movie left. By the time the chapter started to work for me, December had rolled around. Again, sorry for the wait! And to make the next wait (hopefully a shorter one) easier: I do not abandon my works. I will complete this story. I have so much more planned for it (another 22 chapters currently). So please bear with me! I'm grateful for everyone who is reading, liking and commenting! Happy holidays!

* * *

"You call _that_ a boat?", Mary said with raised eyebrows, eyeing the vessel in disgust. The wood seemed rotten, the sails had holes in them and it was small, offering hardly enough room for the ten of them or rather twelve, if one counted the monkey and the parrot. "Even if the ship could carry us, make it to Singapore, how are we supposed to get enough water and food rations on board? And what about bad weather? One storm and we're done for."

"Aye", Hector agreed.

"I'd say we have to steal a ship", Will suggested. "Shouldn't be too hard for a bunch of pirates."

"We have no crew to man a bigger ship", Gibbs said, scratching his whiskers in frustration.

"Didn't Will and Jack sail the Interceptor to Tortuga on their own?", Elizabeth offered.

"We need a better ship, not necessarily a much bigger one", Will pointed out.

"May I remind you that we would need a functional ship to steal another ship", Mary said.

"This is gettin' us nowhere", Hector grumbled.

"Neither will that boat", Mary countered, earning an annoyed glare from Hector.

"It will get us to Havanna", Tia Dalma said. "And there we will find a ship."

Everyone eyed the woman skeptically. "I keep forgetting that she has some kind of powers", Mary mumbled.

"How could you forget? You got your reminder standing right there!", Will told her, pointing at Hector. "Or failed your good captain to leave an _impression_?"

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing while Hector was practically murdering Will with his eyes. Mary didn't even blink and replied calmly: " _My_ good captain is a very capable sailor."

"Well, since that is settled now, how about we try to prepare the boat?", Gibbs suggested.

"Aye", Pintel and Ragetti shouted, glad to escape the discussion. Mary eyed the boat closely as the men stepped on board. After a few moments, she dared to follow. "It seems to float", she said. "To Havanna then!"

…

They arrived by nightfall which proofed useful for their mission. The crews were scattered all over the taverns, their ships abandoned except for a few grumpy guards. They came ashore near the docks, leaving the boat behind. Hector used his spyglass to scout the docks nearest to them. "Schooner, fine condition", he said after a while.

"Guards?", Mary asked.

Hector took a moment. "I can see four."

"Shouldn't be too hard", Will commented.

"Bloody hell", Hector grumbled.

"What now, _captain_?", Will asked annoyed.

"Company soldiers patrolling the docks", he explained. "In pairs, seems like they always stay within earshot of their comrades."

"We can board the ship unseen if we swim", Elizabeth suggested.

"Aye", Mary agreed.

"The soldiers are too close. They will hear us, no matter how quietly we dispose of the guards on board", Hector said.

"Since when are you afraid of a fight?", Will wondered.

Hector gave him a dangerous glare. "Since I happen to be mortal again, boy."

Mary stepped in, before the two men were at each other's throats. "Hector and I can take care of the guards on board if the rest of you secures the docks on this side", she said. "And should you come across an alarm bell, disable it."

"That might work, but what about yer leg?", Hector asked.

"My leg is fine", Mary assured him. "Give us a signal when you are in position", she ordered the crew.

Hector waited until they were alone before he spoke again. "Are ye sure yer all right?"

"Aye, whatever herbs Tia Dalma used, they work wonders", she told him.

He nodded, satisfied with her reply. A few minutes later Cotton's parrot flew across the harbour. "I believe that is the signal", Mary said. They slowly waded into the water. Hector took off his hat and held it in one hand as they swam quietly towards the targeted vessel. They reached the rear and climbed up. The noise from the harbour and the sea covered them along with the darkness. No one was on the quarter deck and they sneaked past the helm onto the lower deck. Two guards were standing at the mast, their backs turned to the pirates. They were playing cards, using a barrel as a table. Mary and Hector grabbed one each and killed them quickly and quietly. "Where are the other two?", Mary whispered. Hector put one finger on his lips to signal her to be quiet. Then he pointed towards the schooner's front and up into the rigging. Mary spotted the guard on deck first, but had to search a while until her gaze fell upon the one above them. He was sitting in the small crow's nest, legs dangling in the air. Mary gestured for Hector to take care of the guard on deck while she tiptoed to the rigging. The rope was rough in her hands as she climbed up, careful not to make a sound. When she reached the top, she turned to see if Hector had succeeded and indeed he had. The dead body lay in the shadows where nothing, but the edge of the captain's hat was in plain view. Mary drew a knife which she could easily hold while still using the hand to support her climb. She was balancing towards the last guard who was quietly humming to himself. Making sure she had a safe standing, she thrust the knife into his neck. He twitched and gurgled blood, before his body slumped down. Mary was unable to prevent him from tipping over and off the wood down onto deck, where he landed with a loud thud. She froze, staring towards the docks, expecting to hear the alarm ring any moment, but all remained quiet. Letting out a breath, she hadn't realised she had been holding, she made her way back down on deck. Hector seemed displeased about the noise she had made, but he didn't say anything. A few moments later, the crew climbed on board.

"We disposed of three soldiers and enabled the nearest alarm bell", Will informed them.

Hector nodded. "Good. Prepare to clear port."

"Make ready the sails", Gibbs ordered quietly and the men disposed.

"I'll see what they have on board", Mary said and climbed underneath deck. The schooner had only recently refilled their provisions. Luck was on their side. She went back up to report her discovery. They were slowly moving away from the docks, yet undetected. But then all hell broke lose in the harbour.

"Seems like they found the bodies", Will said.

"Couldn't you have hidden them better?", Mary complained.

"There was no time", Will replied.

Mary sighed and grabbed her spyglass. The soldiers had spotted them, gesturing wildly towards the schooner. One was trying to ring the alarm bell, but no sound echoed from it. Mary watched as they argued and then ran to get reinforcements.

"We should get some distance between us and Havanna quickly", Mary warned.

"Aye, time to gain speed", Hector said. That was easier said than done as the wind blew only half-heartedly. Mary could still make out the island in the distance with ease when she spotted white sails. The night was clear so that she could easily see the war ship that was leaving port to pursue them. By the size of it, the ship could have been a man-o-war. "They are coming", she warned Hector who was at the helm.

"No worries, they won't catch up", he assured her.

"I'm not so sure about that", she admitted.

"We're faster", he told her.

"They don't need to get very close to get their canons in range", she pointed out.

"Aye, but they can't shoot what they can't see."

Mary frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We'll disappear into the night", he said with a grin. Mary wasn't quite sure how, but Hector did indeed manage to use the dark to get rid of their pursuers. Once they were on the open ocean and quite the distance away from Havanna, the crew disposed of the bodies by throwing them overboard. Mary lay awake for some time after that and eventually gave up. She joined Hector on deck who had taken the first night watch. She could tell that he was enjoying the cold breeze and the peaceful night. He smiled when he saw her, inviting her to stand close to him. "Can't sleep?", he asked.

"Not really", Mary answered, leaning against him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?", he said, looking at her expectantly.

"I should have talked to you about this back at Tia Dalma's hut, but I was…"

"Ye were quite shaken."

"Aye, and it made me forget asking you how you could be there." She looked up at him, watching how he raised a brow quizzically.

"What do ye mean?"

"How can you be alive?", Mary asked. "I watched you die. You took a bullet to the heart."

"Ye of all people should know that not everything that seems impossible is impossible."

"Aye, but I still don't understand."

"Does it matter?", Hector wondered. "Aren't ye glad to have me back, no matter how that came to be?"

"You know how glad I am to have you back", she said. "But I'd still like to understand."

He furrowed his brow. "I am a pirate lord. I failed to pass on my title before I died so I had to be brought back." He could see that this answer did not satisfy Mary. "All nine pirate lords are needed to fight this war."

Mary shook her head. "You are not telling me something, Hector. We are on our way to save Jack from the land of the dead for a reason. And that reason is not loyalty or guilt as the others might believe. It's the same reason why that woman brought you back. What is it that only all nine pirate lords can do?"

Hector grabbed the helm tightly. "Only all of us can free Calypso", he replied reluctantly.

"Calypso? The goddess?", Mary asked and received a nod from Hector.

"Do ye understand now?"

Mary shook her head. "No, I'm just more confused. Why would anyone want to free a goddess? And why would Tia Dalma deem it so important that she resurrected you? What does she gain in this?"

"Yer asking too much", he grumbled.

"I wouldn't have to ask so much if you would just be honest with me!"

"Ha!", Hector exclaimed. "I'm a pirate, missy. And we are a dishonest bunch."

Mary clenched her teeth angrily, but decided to not speak her mind that was raging at Hector's distrust. "I'll get some sleep."

…

The journey to Singapore was quite dull. Hector knew how to stay away from the navy. They only had to face one small storm. The crew spent the days playing cards, arguing over nonsense and emptying the wine stocks. Mary and Elizabeth trained together, dueling on deck for at least an hour a day. Tia Dalma was unusually quiet, observing from the shadows. She made Mary uncomfortable, but she learned to ignore the woman's watchful eyes. Hector remained mostly at the helm, spending his time in his monkey's company. Mary avoided him for weeks. It seemed silly to her at times that she had gotten him back only to keep her distance. But it made her so frustratingly angry that Hector would not be honest with her, after all they had been through. To her surprise he came to her when they were nearing their destination. She was lying in her hammock in a small room underneath deck that she shared with Elizabeth, away from the men. Mary was dozing when he walked in quietly. She knew his steps and didn't bother to open her eyes. He managed to climb in behind her without causing the hammock to sway too wildly. His warmth wrapped around her when he hugged her to him and snuck one arm around her middle. She took his hand in hers. "I'll tell ye all when we got Jack back", he promised and dropped a kiss to her temple.

"All right", she whispered, smiling at that small triumph before falling asleep.

They were woken by Elizabeth. "We've reached Singapore", she let them know and left. Hector rubbed the sleep from his eyes which was something Mary had never before seen him do. She thought it was quite adorable. "Good morning", she greeted him with a grin.

"Am I forgiven?", he replied with a smirk.

"You know you are", Mary said. "But don't you dare break your word!", she warned him.

"Understood", he replied and leaned in for a kiss. The moment she responded, he deepened the kiss, making sure to leave her breathless. "All hands on deck", he breathed into her ear. Mary watched as he got up and elegantly put his hat on. She shook her head at him and followed him on deck. The crew gathered around a barrel where Gibbs had put a map of Singapore and the surrounding sea and islands. "The map we need is locked away in a well-guarded temple here", Hector began, pointing to a specific spot north of the town itself. "Turner, ye will infiltrate the temple on yer own. It's yer best chance to remain undetected and succeed. Ye will have two days to scout the area. Get the map on the third day and meet us in the harbour later that same day. We should have a ship and crew by then."

Will crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And what makes you so sure that I will succeed?"

"I trust yer skills", Hector told him. "As ye will trust mine in securing a crew and ship for our endeavour."

Will nodded. "And what is your plan?"

"I suspect that the company will be patrolling all over town", he said.

"Aye, they are capturing and hanging pirates in the hundreds", Gibbs said. "The song has been sung."

"What song?", Will wondered.

"The song that summons the Brethren Court", Gibbs said and seemed to shudder at the thought. "Things are much worse now."

"How do you kno…?", Mary began and then sighed. "Forget I asked", she finished, eyeing Tia Dalma.

"Sao Feng is hiding in Singapore. I will arrange a meetin'", Hector said. "We won't all be goin'. Should things go badly, we will need to fight our way out. That means I and whoever will go with me will rely on the rest of ye to save us if necessary."

"Surely Mary should go with you", Elizabeth said.

"I think Gibbs should go. I don't think Sao Feng will be much impressed by a woman", Will disagreed.

"Mary is younger than me and the better fighter", Gibbs pointed out.

"Aye", Hector agreed.

"Elizabeth should go", Mary said, silencing everyone.

"What?", they asked simultaneously.

"I won't let her go! It's too dangerous!", Will protested.

"Shut it!", Elizabeth said. "Why do you think I should go?", she asked Mary, knowing that she wouldn't have suggested it without good reason.

"The whole mission… It comes down to the two of us", Mary said, pointing at Elizabeth and herself.

"And why is that?", Hector inquired with raised eyebrows.

"I thought that was obvious", Mary replied and then sighed, realising that an explanation was needed. "Out of all of us who trusts whom the most?", she asked. "Elizabeth trusts Will the most, but as he is out of the game I take that place. I also happen to be the one you trust the most", she pointed out, addressing Hector. "Now should the worst happen the two of you would want the one person you trust the most to have your back - me. So I will provide the escape route while Elizabeth accompanies you. And you will both accept this cause the second most you trust each other. Besides, I'm too much of a pirate. Elizabeth on the other hand is still somewhat a proper lady which might soften Sao Feng a little. Not to mention that she and I are equally good fighters."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, looking at Hector who was clenching his teeth, having a hard time to admit that Mary was right. "Fine then", he growled, hoping Elizabeth would let the topic of trust fall.

"I take that as a compliment", she told him with a smug grin.

Hector rolled his eyes.

"There, there, Captain", Mary mocked him. "We all know you respect her."

"And how would we ensure your escape should something go wrong?", Gibbs inquired.

"That will proof somewhat of a challenge", Hector admitted.

"We expected no less", Mary assured him.

…

Mary blinked the water out of her eyes as she grabbed the wall in front of her for support. The men appeared out of the water behind her and positioned themselves around the bars blocking the canal that would lead them underneath the bathhouse. It had taken them almost two whole days to get their hands on the town's plans to figure out a possible escape route. They had finished their preparations just in time not to miss the agreed meeting with Sao Feng. Elizabeth and Hector were probably already being escorted to the pirate lord. Mary observed their surroundings carefully. Company soldiers were marching through the town in the dozens. At last Tia Dalma moved onto the bridge above them. The monkey started playing on a loud and terrible sounding hand organ, covering the noise Gibbs and the others made while rasping through the bars. They got through the old, rusty metal quickly. Mary climbed in first, crawling through the tunnel as quickly as possible. After about fifty metres, the tunnel got broader and higher, allowing her to get up. An almost unbearable heat greeted them when they reached the steam room of the bathing house. Mary signaled the crew to stop as she leaned forward to peek into the room. Two men were operating the fire, only armed with knives. She watched carefully as a small wheel of wooden plates turned, making a rattling sound that seemed to signal something. One of the men walked to a couple of odd looking handles, pulling one, causing steam to rise. The sound of voices echoed through the wooden floor above their heads, but Mary was too focused on the task at hand to understand what was being said. A tall and quite massive third man walked in, shoveling more coal into the oven with ease. Ragetti let out a scared whimper and tried to run back into the tunnel, but Gibbs stopped him. "None of that! If things don't go the way we want, we are the only chance they've got."

Mary nodded and quietly grabbed a shovel that was standing nearby. Gibbs and Pintel were holding a large rock each and took aim. When Mary sneaked past the two men, they waited until she raised the shovel over her head to strike the giant down and threw the rocks with a terrifying precision. The moment the rocks smashed against their heads and knocked them out, the shovel hit its target. He stumbled on his knees, but didn't pass out until after the second blow. The crew tied the men together and stuffed their mouths while Marty took the shovel from Mary to guard the giant. Meanwhile, the others began to place explosives around. Once they were done, she and Gibbs moved to stand underneath Hector and Elizabeth. They were still debating with Sao Feng. Now Mary began to pay attention to what they were saying.

"More steam", Sao Feng demanded and the wooden wheel turned. Cotton was standing at the handles, but had no idea which one to pull. Mary began to gesticulate wildly to help him out. "More steam!", Sao Feng bellowed and the rattling sound of the wood echoed again, warning Mary that their plan would fail should no steam rise now. Fortunately, Cotton was quite clever and understood her gestures, pulling the right handle. Mary breathed in deeply to calm her nerves. The discussion above continued.

"There is a price on all our heads", Sao Feng said, much calmer than moments ago. Mary could hear him walk around in the room above, but couldn't spot him, even though the wooden planks forming the floor had a large number of slits in them. "It is true", Sao Feng continued. "It seems the only way a pirate can turn profit anymore is by betraying other pirates."

Mary couldn't understand Hector's response as Gibbs unpacked weapons next to her. "Wait for the signal", he reminded them.

"What was that signal again?", Mary asked. "Chaos? The threat of death?"

"Something like that", Gibbs replied nervously.

"Against the East India Trading Company what value is the Brethren Court?", Sao Feng challenged Hector. "What can any of us do?"

"You can fight!", Elizabeth exclaimed. "Get off me!", she told someone Mary could not see, but she could hear how Elizabeth stepped forward. "You are Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore. You command in an age of piracy where bold captains sail free waters. Where waves aren't measured in feet, but as increments of fear, and those who pass the test become legend. Would you have that era come to an end on your watch? The most notorious pirates from around the world are uniting against our enemy and yet you sit here, cowering in your bath water!"

Mary was both impressed and worried by Elizabeth's boldness and waited anxiously for Sao Feng's reply.

"Elizabeth Swann, there is more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? And the eye does not go wanting", Sao Feng said, circling Elizabeth. "But I cannot help but notice: You have failed to answer my question", he pointed out, clearly meaning Hector. "What is it you seek in Davy Jones' locker?"

"Jack Sparrow", Will's voice replied, making Mary frown. Why the bloody hell was he there? "He is one of the pirate lords."

Sao Feng moved again, becoming easier to follow, yet his face remained hidden. "The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow return from the land of the dead is so I can send him back myself!", he raged, kicking what sounded like a chair.

Hector walked to him, the limp in his walk giving away his position clearly. "Jack Sparrow holds one of the nine pieces of eight. He failed to pass it along to a successor before he died. So we must go and get him back", he explained. Mary decided to ask him later why Sao Feng despised Jack, though she had an idea or two why that could be.

Sao Feng remained silent for a few moments and when he began to speak again he sounded a lot calmer, yet the content of his words set Mary on edge. "So, you admit you have deceived me." A pause followed. Mary could easily picture the look on Hector's face, before they got the signal Mary had hoped not to get: "Weapons!", Sao Feng ordered loudly and the screams of his men echoed through the bathing house.

"Weapons", Mary ordered immediately.

"Sao Feng, I assure ye our intentions are strictly honourable", Hector said, just when Mary, Pintel, Gibbs and Cotton threw one sword each up into the hands of their allies.

"Drop your weapons or I kill the man!", Sao Feng warned them.

Mary frowned. Who was he talking about?

"Kill him, he's not our man!", Hector replied, the shrug evident in his voice.

"If he's not with you and he's not with us…", Will said. "Then who is he with?"

The moment he finished, doors were kicked open, men screamed and shots went off. The sound of muskets was familiar to Mary, so she knew that it were soldiers attacking the pirates above. The crew gathered at the tunnel entrance, preparing to set off the explosives. The chaos above them had reached its full potential when the explosion went off. It blew a hole into the floor and left them a wooden ramp to walk up and join the fight. "Come on, pals!", Gibbs shouted, going up first, firing his pistols, followed by Pintel and Ragetti. Mary appeared behind them, aiming one pistol at a soldier who tried to stab Hector in the back with his bayonet while the captain was busy keeping two soldiers away from him. Her second shot hit another soldier harassing Hector. He disposed of the last one and turned to look at her. He didn't seem surprised that it had been her who had come to his aid and he had a moment of peace to thank her with a nod. With a loud scream another soldier attacked Mary. A classic mistake to announce an attack with a battle scream. She used the two pistols to block the strike. He stumbled and was knocked out when she smashed her knee into his face. She could feel his nose break, but already moved to the next opponent while the previous one was dropping to the floor. As the pistols weren't loaded anymore, she threw them one after the other into soldier's faces and then drew her sword. She followed Hector outside where they fought off more soldiers. They seemed to be everywhere. Mary lost Hector in the chaos, but trusted him to find his way to the docks. She cut her way there when a mighty explosion cut off the company's reinforcements, killing a good number of them. Suddenly, Hector was at her side again, accompanied by the crew and Elizabeth. Will appeared behind them, followed by a large number of pirates.

"Ye have the charts?", Hector asked, catching them as Will threw them to him.

"And better yet. A ship and a crew", he said.

"Where is Sao Feng?", Elizabeth wanted to know.

"He will cover our escape and meet us at Shipwreck Cove."

"This way, quickly!", one of Sao Feng's men said and led them through the docks. More shots went off in the distance, but soon they found themselves aboard a ship, leaving Singapore behind.

Hector was storming towards the quarter deck, catching Will who was leaning at the rail a few feet away from the stairs. Mary was close behind, expecting Hector to throttle Will on the spot.

"Ye weren't supposed to get caught!", Hector growled. Mary had to smile at that, remembering the last time he had told her that. It seemed a lifetime ago. Hector had been cursed, the Pearl had been his, a much different crew had been around and Mary had been full of hope that all would be well. A hope she struggled to uphold these days.

"It worked out the way I wanted", Will replied, leaving Hector to wonder about his words. Mary watched Will disappear with a frown. She had a feeling that he was up to something.

"We should keep an eye on him", she told Hector who was staring back to the docks.

"Probably, but at the end of the day I trust him to be on our side", he replied as Jack jumped up next to him on the rail.

"For now", Mary agreed.

"I have to get familiar with these", Hector said then, pointing at the charts in his hands with his chin. "Would ye take the helm for the time being?"

"Aye, where to?"

"East towards the open sea where we came from. By the time we leave the islands behind, I should be able to provide us with a more precise course", he explained.

Mary nodded. "To world's end then."

* * *

 **Yet another note:** Since Tia Dalma's hut is located on Cuba I thought it would make sense to have them set sail to Singapore from Havanna. I do not know which route would have typically been chosen to sail from the Caribbean to Singapore in the 1730s, but I assumed that they would have chosen to sail around the South American Continent. I also assume that world's end is located somewhere in the Antarctic due to the iceberg sequence from the movie and the fact that the Antarctic is located somewhat close to Singapore (compared to the Arctic). Let me know what you think!


	11. At World's End

It had gotten gradually colder once Hector had adjusted their course to World's End. Mary was soon forced to put on more layers of clothing, yet once they passed the first icebergs she was shaking like a leave anyway. She tried to get a little warmer, but neither hiding under deck nor constantly walking up and down the ship worked. At least at night she found some warmth snuggled up to Hector, but he soon began to spend far too much time at the helm for it to make a difference. Once they were constantly surrounded by icebergs, Mary found herself standing next to Hector at the helm, jumping up and down to keep her blood streaming.

"What are ye doing?", Hector asked amused.

She looked at him, shivering at the sight of his still half open shirt. "Aren't you cold?", she managed to say with clattering teeth.

He smiled. "No."

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Would you be so kind as to tell me how you are doing it?"

Hector crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Ignore the cold."

"Ha!", Mary exclaimed. "That might just be the most unhelpful advice you have given me."

Hector shrugged. "Try more layers then."

Mary gave him an annoyed glare and then turned to Elizabeth who was cowering in the corner behind her, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She seemed to be so cold that she was absentminded. "The cold might kill some of us", Mary said.

"We'll soon have passed through these waters", Hector assured her.

Mary only grumbled in reply and started rubbing her upper body while walking on the spot. Will came up the stairs, holding Sao Feng's charts. He handed them to Hector, pointing at a specific part of the map. "Do you care to interpret, _Captain_ Barbossa?", he asked.

Hector lowered the map and rolled it up. "Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?", he said.

Gibbs was looking at the passing icebergs. "I reckon I've seen my fair share", he replied, turning around to face Will. "Happens on a rare occasion. At the last glimpse of sunset, the green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole life without seeing it. Some claim to have seen it. And some…"

"It signals when a soul comes back into this world from the dead", Pintel blurted out which made Gibbs glare at him angrily. Pintel shrugged apologetically while Hector only rolled his eyes in annoyance. Mary had listened to the story carefully. "So when Tia Dalma resurrected Hector, there would have been a green flash?"

"If the story is true", Gibbs pointed out, looking questioningly at Hector who only smirked.

"Trust me, young Master Turner," Hector began and handed the map back to him. "It's not getting to the land of the dead that is the problem." He adjusted the course. "It's getting back."

Will eyed the map thoughtfully, then left the quarter deck. "How did you figure out the course?", Mary asked Hector.

He frowned. "I'm a captain."

The ship was sailing towards a massive cave within an even bigger iceberg. Darkness surrounded them. Mary was in awe of the natural phenomenon that the cave which turned out to be a tunnel was. She wondered how it had come to be, but suspected that something supernatural was the cause. "Beautiful", Mary whispered. The view helped her to forget the cold. Beyond the tunnel, night awaited them. The sky was clear, a million stars twinkling, mirrored in the pitch-black sea. Small clouds of fog were beginning to rise from the water and Mary couldn't help but think that the horizon looked odd all of a sudden.

"Hector, what exactly is world's end?"

"World's _end_ ", Hector replied meaningfully.

Mary felt a little sick. "Since we're going to the land of the dead… If one were to die on the way, would it matter?"

"That'd be the only way," he said quietly, to make sure no one else heard him.

Mary swallowed hard. "Good to know", she said. "I can't believe I'm going to die to save that man."

"I do share that sentiment", Hector assured her.

Mary took his hand. "I'm scared", she admitted quietly.

"Don't be. Yer with me", he told her.

Will came running to them, followed by half the Pearl's crew. "Barbossa, ahead!"

He let go of Mary's hand, not without giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Aye, we're good and lost now."

"Lost?", Elizabeth asked shocked.

"For certain you have to be lost to find a place as can't be found. Else ways, everyone would know where it was", Hector explained.

Gibbs leaned over the rail. "We're gaining speed!"

"Aye", Hector said.

"To stations!", Will ordered.

Mary frowned. "What is he doing?"

"All hands to stations!", Will shouted, running towards the middle of the ship, alerting the crew. "Rudder full. Hard aport! Gather way."

"Nay! Belay that! Let her run straight and true!", Hector shouted, leaving the helm to find its own way. His words had the intended impact, as the crew stopped trying to follow Will's orders. Instead, most men gathered at the railing to see what was ahead.

"Brilliant", Mary mumbled, now seeing and hearing the waterfall that marked world's end. The falling water thundered into the unknown and Mary didn't feel like sharing the water's fate.

Elizabeth angrily turned to Hector. "You've doomed us all!", she accused him.

"Don't be so unkind. Ye may not survive to pass this way again. And these'd be the last friendly words ye hear."

"Besides, you agreed to get Jack back", Mary pointed out. "Though I have to admit, I'm having second thoughts on that."

Hector rolled his eyes, grabbing a rope hanging above his head. Mary watched Will who had not yet given up the task of turning the ship around. "Tie her off!", he ordered and ran towards the helm.

"Hard to port", Elizabeth shouted.

The ship was now in the waterfall's firm grip, shaking heavily. Mary grabbed a rope with one hand and Hector with the other. The fact that he was entirely unbothered at the prospect of the deadly fall they were facing made her uncomfortable. He seemed to have kept a sense of carelessness years of being undead had created. For a moment she had the urge to tell him that she loved him, but she tossed that thought aside. Firstly, she was sure he knew that and secondly, the task of holding onto the ship seemed more important. Thanks to Will, the ship had turned around. Far too late though. Mary turned as well, not wanting to fall into the depths backwards. Not seeing what was awaiting would have terrified her only more.

"Hold on!", Will shouted, making Mary grab the rope tighter. The ship began to dip towards the edge, raising the bow up in the air. Upon seeing the darkness in which the waterfall disappeared, Mary could do nothing but panic. Her legs were lifted off of the deck and she was dangling in the air, hanging on for dear life while Hector only laughed next to her as if this was fun. Some crew members were rolling down the deck, having lost their grip. Mary wanted to scream, but no sound would cross her lips. She forced herself to stop looking at the darkness underneath, but at Hector. He seemed to have lost his mind, but she would have preferred looking at him in her last moments no matter what. And then the ship turned upside down as it finally fell over the edge and into the depth completely. The waterfall soaked her through as the ship was shaking and turning. Mary had lost all orientation. Her hands were cramping. And then they hit the water at the bottom. Mary was unable to recall for how long they had been falling or how deep, but she survived the clash with the water. Salty water, she realised as she accidentally swallowed some. It was an ocean. The ship was sinking, now threatening to pull her into the sea as the Kraken had. She let go and began swimming upwards. Light was glistening above her head, letting her know that there was a surface. Her head burst out of the sea and she took a deep breath. Blinking at the bright light, she searched her surroundings for the other crew members. One after the other appeared at the surface, all gratefully inhaling.

"This way!", she heard Hector shout to her right and she followed his voice. Soon her feet found some ground and she waded towards an empty beach with sand shining almost as bright as the sun. Once she reached the shore, however, the beach lost its shine and looked deserted, unwelcoming and with nowhere to go. There were no trees, no sounds, but the sea. The sky was clear, the sun burning down. Gibbs stumbled ashore next to her. "This truly is a godforsaken place", he said.

Mary inspected her hands that were yet again rope burned. She sighed, then felt Hector's gaze upon her. She held her hands up. "Could have been worse", she told him with a shrug. A hint of a smirk appeared on his face and he nodded.

"I don't see Jack", Elizabeth said, trying to catch her breath. "I don't see anyone."

"He's here", Hector assured her. "Davy Jones never once gave up that what he took."

"And does it matter?", Will asked. "We are trapped here by your doing. No different than Jack."

Mary wringed some of the water out of her clothes. "And how else could we have saved Jack but by coming here?", she wondered. "Wasn't all this rather obviously going to happen?"

Before Will could reply, Tia Dalma spoke: "Witty Jack is closer than you think." Just when she had finished the Black Pearl appeared, sliding over a sand dune as if the ship was sailing over a wave. After everything Mary had seen, this shouldn't have surprised her. But the sudden appearance of the Pearl heading to the ocean across the beach did leave an expression of disbelief on her face. "Are those… crabs?", she asked upon seeing what was carrying the ship.

Ragetti raised his index finger to shakily point at the Pearl. "Boat", he said.

"Slap me thrice and hand me to my mama! It's Jack!", Gibbs exclaimed.

The Pearl stopped in the shallows near the beach. Jack rowed ashore in a longboat, striding towards them in his usual manner. And they were running towards him.

"It's the Captain!", Pintel shouted.

"A sight for sore eyes!", Gibbs said.

"Mr. Gibbs!", Jack said, as the crew lined up and Gibbs saluted: "Aye, cap'n."

"I thought so", Jack announced. "I expect you're able to account for your actions then?"

"Sir?", Gibbs asked with a frown.

"There's been a perpetual and virulent lack of discipline upon my vessel. Why? Why is that, sir?", Jack shouted.

"Sir, you're...", Gibbs began and gave the crew a side glance before leaning closer to Jack. "You're in Davy Jones' Locker, cap'n."

Jack stared at Gibbs and looked around by only moving his eyes. "I know that. I know where I am. And don't think I don't", Jack warned Gibbs.

"Jack Sparrow", Hector greeted Jack. Mary remembered that they hadn't faced each other since their fight in the caves. Nonetheless, Jack seemed to be happy to see Hector.

"Ah, Hector", he greeted him with a smile. "It's been too long. Hasn't it?"

"Aye. Isla de Muerta, remember?", Hector replied with a smile that then turned into an angry glare. "You shot me."

"No, I didn't", Jack disagreed, still a broad smile on his face.

Hector raised his eyebrows in confusion at that, but got no chance to speak further with Jack as he had spotted Tia Dalma. "Tia Dalma, out and about, eh? You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium." Tia Dalma seemed equally confused as Hector.

Will sighed exasperatedly. "He thinks we're a hallucination."

"William, tell me something: Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or rather, a damsel in distress? Either one", Jack wanted to know.

"No", Will replied firmly.

"Well, then, you wouldn't be here, would you? So you can't be here. Q.E.D., you're not really here", Jack concluded happily.

"It's fascinating how you manage to make that sound reasonable", Mary remarked, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Yes, I'm rather good at these things", Jack agreed.

"Jack! This is real. We're here", Elizabeth said, stepping into Jack's view. He eyed her, unable to speak. Then he hurried back to Gibbs. Mary couldn't hear what they were saying as they had turned their backs to them.

Elizabeth followed him. "We've come to rescue you."

"Have you now? That's very kind of you", Jack replied. "But it would seem that as I possess a ship and you don't, you're the ones in need of rescuing, and I'm not sure as I'm in the mood."

"I see my ship. Right there", Hector said and pointed at the Pearl.

Jack held up his hand to block the sun. "Can't spot it. Must be a tiny little thing hiding somewhere behind the Pearl."

Mary rolled her eyes. "This is really not the time."

"Jack, Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones. He controls the Flying Dutchman", Will told him.

"He's taking over the seas", Elizabeth added.

"The song has already been sung. The Brethren Court is called", Tia Dalma finished.

"Leave you alone for a minute, look what happens. Everything's gone to pot", Jack said, but didn't seem interested.

"Aye. The world needs you back something fierce", Gibbs said.

"And you need a crew", Will pointed out.

Jack turned to face them. "Why should I sail with any of you? Five of you have tried to kill me in the past." He looked at Elizabeth. "One of you succeeded."

"What?", Mary blurted out and looked at Elizabeth who was avoiding Will's gaze.

"Oh, she's not told you. You'll have loads to talk about while you're here", Jack said. "As for you...", he addressed Tia Dalma who grinned.

"Now... don't tell me you didn't enjoy it at the time."

"Fair enough. All right, you're in", Jack said and went on. "Don't need you. You scare me", he told Ragetti and moved on. "Gibbs, you can come. Marty." He eyed Pintel and let out a disgusted sound. "Cotton. Cotton's parrot, I'm a little iffy, but at least I'll have someone to talk to", he thought out loud and stopped dead in his tracks facing Sao Feng's men. "Who are you?"

"Tai Huang. These are my men", their leader replied.

"Where do your allegiances lie?", Jack wanted to know.

"With the highest bidder."

"I have a ship", Jack offered.

"That makes you the highest bidder", Tai Huang said.

"Good man. Weigh anchor, all hands. Prepare to make sail", Jack ordered while the men hurried towards the Pearl. He took out his compass, but didn't seem too pleased at what he was seeing.

"Jack...", Hector said with a grin, tapping the charts with his fingers. "Which way are you going, Jack?"

Mary concluded that the compass didn't work in Davy Jones' locker, forcing Jack to take them aboard. By the time they reached the Pearl and were ready to leave, Mary had dried for which she was grateful. Now only her hands needed to be taken care of. But once Hector and Jack were both on board, they began to fight over who the captain was. Mary watched them from the quarter deck, finding the scene playing out before her amusing.

"Trim that sail. Slack windward brace and sheet. Haul the pennant line", Hector ordered.

"Trim that sail. Slack windward brace and sheet. Haul the pennant line", Jack repeated every single order the moment it had left Hector's lips.

"What are you doing?", Hector asked Jack as they met in front of the main mast.

"What are you doing?", Jack returned the question.

"No, what are you doing?", Hector asked again, this time shouting.

"What are you doing?", Jack repeated again.

"No, what are you doing?", Hector bellowed.

"What are you doing?", Jack replied yet again, but had figured out that he needed to change his tactic. "Captain gives orders on the ship."

"The captain of the ship is giving orders", Hector pointed out.

"My ship, makes me captain", Jack reminded him.

"They be my charts", Hector fired back.

"That makes you _chartman_ ", Jack shrugged.

"Stow it! The both of you! That's an order! Understand?!", Pintel shouted, earning a glare from both Captains.

"Sorry. I just thought with the captain issue in doubt, I'd throw in my name for consideration", he explained. "Sorry."

Neither Hector nor Jack replied to that, but started racing for the helm. "We're heading for the open ocean. Unless either of you has a more precise course to offer, there will be no need for you to take over the helm", Mary let them know.

Hector and Jack eyed each other skeptically for a moment and then took position on opposite sides of the helm, watching over the ship. After a while, Hector seemed to get bored and took out his spyglass to watch the sea. Jack did the same, but his spyglass was smaller and he retreated upon that.

Mary leaned against the rail next to Hector. "Are we stuck here?"

Hector slowly lowered the spyglass. "For now", he mumbled.

"And here I was thinking you had all this thoroughly planned through", Mary sighed.

Hector took offence at that comment. "I planned it as much as possible", he defended himself grumpily.

"Doesn't Tia Dalma know the way out?", Mary asked hopefully.

"No, the answer we're looking for is on the map", Hector said.

"Then lets figure it out", Mary said.

"I tried!", Hector snapped.

Mary realised that there was no point in discussing the topic further. Hector was already angry enough at himself without her making it worse. "Hm, a task for tomorrow then", she decided. "Would you help me with these?", she asked then, holding up her injured hands.

Hector's face softened. "How do ye always manage that?"

Mary raised an eyebrow at that. "I wouldn't, if I didn't end up in this certain kind of situations."

"I suppose I'm to blame for that too", Hector grumbled.

"Partially, aye. But it does give us an excuse to disappear under deck", she teased with a cheeky glimmer in her eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Note: More originial content to come again in the next chapter! Please drop a review :)**


	12. Dead People in Boats

**Author's Note: It has been a while & I apologise for the long wait! I hope some of you are still with me. Enjoy the chapter & thank you for your patience! Please leave a review if you have a moment. :)**

* * *

Hector and Mary found a spot where they were alone underneath deck. Led by her teasing Hector leaned in for a kiss. Mary granted him one, but broke it, before he could deepen it. He let out a disapproving grumble that made her smile. She dropped a few apologetically kisses along his jawline. "Later", she whispered and stepped away. "Now, while I bondage my hands you can keep your promise."

He sighed and scratched his chin. "Yer still insistin' on hearin' the truth then?"

"Yes", Mary replied firmly. She grabbed some linen and sat on a barrel. While she was clumsily cutting it in stripes with a knife, Hector grabbed a second barrel and repositioned it so that he could sit opposite of her. Mary felt his eyes on her as she began to wrap the first stripe of linen over her left hand to protect it for the time being and allow it to heal. When he still remained silent as she began to work on the second stripe, she broke the silence: "I can bondage my hand _and_ listen to you, you know."

"If I tell ye, it makes things complicated", Hector explained.

"Last time you thought my involvement would have that effect, I was unable to help you and that resulted in your death", Mary said with growing anger. "You have to make a choice, Hector. Trust me and accept my help. Or don't trust me and accept the consequences."

"Don't ye love me?"

Mary glared at him. "In this very moment, I should be the only one asking that question."

Hector held her gaze, but soon admitted defeat with a sigh. "The first Brethren Court bound Calypso in a human form, using nine pieces of eight. Each pirate lord owns a piece and as all pieces are needed to free her, so are all pirate lords, because they are the only ones knowing what their piece of eight is."

Mary frowned. "So they are not _actual_ pieces of eight?"

"Aye. Pirates tend to waste silver and gold, so they used random items no one would expect to have any importance."

"Pirates are always clever for the wrong reasons", Mary said, shaking her head in amusement.

Hector smiled. "Most of the time, aye."

"So what exactly did the Brethren gain by binding Calypso?", Mary asked.

"Rule over the sea herself", Hector said. "But now that rule is being challenged by Beckett. If we free Calypso, we gain her favour and support."

"In theory", Mary pointed out. "You could also have nothing but her wrath coming upon all of us."

"Aye, if she hadn't struck a bargain with me that might happen", Hector replied meaningfully.

"What are you saying?"

"Calypso brought me back."

"But…", Mary began when she realised what his words truly meant. "Tia Dalma is Calypso bound in human form."

"Aye, now imagine what would happen if anyone but us knew that", Hector said.

"I can imagine, but there is one thing I don't understand: The bargain. She brought you back on the condition that you get the Brethren to set her free, but there was no agreement on what she would do afterwards, was there?"

"No, but I'll take my chances. I have too."

Mary had finished wrapping the linen around her hands. "Hector, you cannot take your chances with a goddess! Let alone suggest something that the Brethren will surely refuse to do."

"What choice do we have? Beckett has the Dutchman and dozens of ships, his own personal navy."

"There must be another way", Mary said.

"There isn't. Not for me. If I don't free her, I'm a dead man. And if we don't stop Beckett, I'm most likely a dead man too."

"I almost wish you hadn't told me", Mary admitted. "But maybe together we can come up with something."

"Mary, don't. There's no point in…"

"Hector, I won't put your life at risk. I only believe we have to find another way to prevail Beckett", Mary explained. "As long as we're in Davy Jones locker it won't matter either way."

"Do ye promise to let me negotiate Calypso's release with the Brethren?", he asked.

"Aye, I do. And I also promise that no one will hear what we have discussed here."

Hector nodded gratefully. "Thank ye, Mary." He got up and closed the distance between them. She welcomed him into her arms, burying her face in his neck. "Whatever you do, don't do it alone", she whispered. "Let me have your back, without exceptions this time."

Hector tightened his grip on her. "Aye."

…

"Any progress on figuring out how we leave this place?", Mary asked when she put her shirt back on.

Hector was fumbling with the buttons on his waistcoat. "No."

"Doesn't _she_ know?", Mary wondered.

Hector grabbed his coat. "I don't know, but I doubt it. Goddess or not, this is Davy Jones' locker, not hers."

Mary sighed. "Why are these things never easy?"

"If they were, many would attempt them." He put one arm around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. "We will find a way back."

She dropped a kiss to the skin on his chest the shirt left naked. She wanted to talk about the future, their future, after Beckett and the Brethren, but a noise slowly surrounding them stopped her. It sounded like dozens of hushed voices, howling like wind in the distance. "Do you hear that?", Mary asked.

Hector listened. "Souls."

"Souls?"

"Follow me", he said and they hurried on deck. The crew had gathered at the rail. "Where have you been?", Elizabeth asked upon spotting Mary. "We could use a plan."

Mary only shrugged in reply, distracted by the sight below in the water. Dozens of people were floating in the direction the Pearl had come from. All were wearing what seemed to be nightgowns or underdresses. They were pale, see through even, with expressionless faces, floating just beneath the water's surface like bodies. They didn't look like souls to Mary, more like ghosts, cursed ghosts, all good taken from them, nothing remaining of who they once were but their shape. Two loud thuds startled her and made her turn her head to the right. Cannonballs rolled over deck, having been dropped by Pintel and Ragetti who were stared down by Tia Dalma.

"Be disrespectful, it would", Pintel remarked quietly. Mary wasn't sure what he meant, but whatever the two had had in mind with the cannonballs, Tia Dalma didn't like it.

"They should be in the care of Davy Jones", she said angrily. "That was the duty him was charged with by the goddess Calypso."

Mary swallowed hard and took a side glance at Hector. His face was a stern mask, not showing any reaction revealing his knowledge.

"To ferry those who died at sea to the other side", Tia Dalma continued. "And every ten years him would come ashore to be with she who love him truly. But the man has become a monster."

"So, he wasn't always… tentacley?", Ragetti asked.

"No. Him was a man… once", she replied.

Mary took in these details, aware that they had more meaning to her knowing what she did about Tia Dalma than to anyone else aboard apart from Hector. Then she registered movement in the darkness ahead.

"Now there's boats coming", Ragetti said.

Gibbs stepped up, loading a musket. Will grabbed it. "They are not a threat to us. Am I right?", he said, looking at Tia Dalma for support.

"We're nothing but ghosts to them", she explained.

"It's best just let them be", Hector remarked, arms crossed in front of his chest. Mary frowned slightly upon seeing that his stern expression had faded, making room for a hint of… Pain? Fear? Shock? It was the sort of look one might have after being woken by a nightmare. Mary bit her tongue as she understood what was going on. And she could have slapped herself for not realising sooner. Hector had been dead. What they were seeing now he had experienced before for all she knew. He hadn't talked about what it had been like to be dead and she hadn't thought about asking. But for him it had clearly been unpleasant, scary, painful.

There were all kinds of people sitting in the longboats, rich and poor alike. No one took notice of them. They all just stared ahead. Elizabeth appeared next to Hector. "It's my father. We've made it back!", she exclaimed happily. "Father! Father, here, look here!", she shouted.

"Elizabeth. We're not back", Jack told her quietly. The broad smile on her face faded. Seemingly more determined than before, she called out to the Governor. "Father!

Finally, he turned his head in bewilderment. "Elizabeth? Are you dead?", he asked.

She shook her head. "No. No."

"I think I am", he replied.

"No, you can't be!"

"There was this chest, you see", he began to explain. "It's odd. At the time it seemed so important.

"Come aboard!", Elizabeth shouted.

"And a heart. I learned that if you stab the heart, yours must take its place. And you will sail the seas for eternity. The Dutchman must have a Captain. Silly thing to die for" he continued.

"Someone cast a line! Come back with us!", Elizabeth shouted, panic evident in her voice.

Marty turned to look for a line only to have Elizabeth snap it out of his hands the moment he grabbed it. She threw it with remarkable precision over her father's longboat.

"She will do something stupid", Mary whispered in a concerned tone to Hector.

"Take the line!"

"I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth", he told her, ignoring the line entirely.

"Father, take the line! Take the line!" But the line slipped off of the longboat. Elizabeth didn't hesitate and ran up the ship.

"She must not leave the ship!", Tia Dalma yelled.

Will and Mary were the first to sprint towards her as she tried to climb off the ship, shouting after her father. "I won't leave you!"

"I'll give your love to your mother!", the Governor said, before his longboat faded into the fog. Will barely managed to grab Elizabeth in time and pull her back on deck, holding her in a tight hug as she sobbed in despair.

"Is there a way?", Will asked.

Tia Dalma shook her head. "Him at peace."

Mary didn't quite understand why Hector and Jack could be saved, yet the Governor had to stay dead. Whatever rules there were, they were arbitrary and cruel. The crew retreated to give Elizabeth some privacy.

Mary turned, expecting Hector to stand behind her, but he was gone. She blinked in confusion, then walked to the Captain's cabin in search of him. However, he wasn't there, only his monkey. "Where is he?", Mary asked Jack who tilted his head before jumping onto her shoulder, pointing towards the stairs leading beneath deck. Mary followed the monkey's instructions and finally found Hector in the depth of the ship near the rum storage. Jack didn't seem to like the place much, jumped off of her shoulder and left the way they had come. Mary didn't pay much attention to the animal. She was slowly approaching Hector, already knowing that he wasn't all right. He was sitting on the floor, back to the wall, hat cast aside, head in his hands, eyes closed and seemingly focused on breathing calmly. Mary sat beside him, hands in her lap, her side touching his lightly to assure him of her presence, yet not fully invading his space. Eventually, he moved, lying down, resting his head in her lap. Mary gently caressed his face, doing her best to soothe him. For once she was all right with the fact that he didn't talk about what was wrong. She had just been given an idea of what he had experienced and was troubled by now. And he allowed her to be near him, to see him at his most vulnerable. She had asked for his trust and been granted it.


	13. Up is Down

Chapter 13

Up is Down

Three days… It had been three bloody days since they had left the shore of Davy Jones' locker behind. They had run out of water and rum as the Pearl had been badly stocked when it had gone down with the Kraken. The sun was burning down during the day and its absence at night caused a bitter cold. The wind blew in one direction only. Nothing but water ahead, behind, all around. And Hector did nothing. He had given up studying the map on the morning of the second day. Mary had then tried to make sense of it, but had failed. Elizabeth hadn't spoken since the night they had seen her father. And Jack had spent all of the third day fumbling with the map, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Now the sun was setting.

"If we cannot escape these doldrums before night, I fear we will sail on trackless seas. Doomed to roam the reach between worlds. Forever", Tia Dalma said, glaring at the sun that was slowly nearing the ocean's surface on the horizon.

"With no water, forever looks to be arriving a mite too soon", Gibbs grumbled.

"I don't understand how we can be so thirsty and hungry when we are dead", Mary said, trying to dampen her dry lips with her tongue, but achieving nothing.

Will looked at Hector. "Why doesn't he do something?"

"He doesn't know what to do", Mary explained. "The gibberish on the map…"

"There's no sense to it", Gibbs finished for her.

Will sighed. "And the green flash happens at sunset, not sunrise."

"Over the edge", Gibbs recited the map. "Ah, it's driving me over the blooming edge."

"And what edge? The waterfall should have been near the shore where we crashed, but there was nothing. Just the open sea." Mary kicked an empty water keg. "How can we go over an edge when there is none?"

"Sunrises don't set", Gibbs grumbled.

"Up is down!", Jack suddenly announced. Then his face fell. "Well, that's just maddingly unhelpful."

Ragetti shouted, pursuing the monkey Jack who had stolen his eye. At least the monkey wouldn't be bothered. It was undead anyway.

Mary walked up to the helm and looked up into the rigging. The sails were filled with wind, just enough wind to keep them moving. She turned to Hector. "We have to do something!", she exclaimed and slapped the helm.

Hector didn't look at her. "If ye have a thought, feel free to pursue it. Come sunset, it won't matter anymore."

Mary sighed and watched as Jack suddenly seemed to have a thought. "Not sunset", she heard him mumble as he turned a piece of the map. "Sundown. And rise. Up."

Mary frowned and tried to get a look at the map, but Jack was jumping to his feet, pointing to port. "What's that?", he shouted and ran to the rail, five crew members already gathering around him, trying to see what he was allegedly seeing. One of them was even loading a musket. Mary glared at the sea at port but could not make out anything but the setting sun dancing on the small waves.

"What is that? I don't know. What do you think?", Jack bubbled along to no one in particular.

"Where?", Gibbs asked.

"There!", Jack pointed out by seemingly pointing at nothing whatsoever.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Hector had begun moving, walking down the steps onto deck, his eyes following Jack as he spun around, pointing to starboard. He let out a gasp and then sprinted over, looking at the sea he made a number of odd noises, then turned around and ran back to port. Now more crew members had joined him, following him from one side to the other and back again.

Mary grabbed the rail in front of her and leaped over, landing next to Hector on deck. She looked at the map. The ship displayed in the middle had been turned upside down. She stared at it for a moment, before her eyebrows shot up.

"What is it?", Elizabeth shouted, joining the crew at the rail.

"He's rocking the ship", Pintel mumbled confused.

Hector leaned over the map.

"We're rocking the ship!", Gibbs shouted, parts confused, parts excited.

"Aye, he's onto it", Mary and Hector said simultaneously. They looked at one another, having found their hope again. The Pearl was rocking quite a bit by now. Hector ran towards the stairs that led underneath, shouting over his shoulder: "Time it with the swell."

Mary jumped to the rail, waiting for the other crew members to join her side and then ran to the other side with them. After about two times running both ways, Hector reappeared. Down below, Mary heard the cannons and cargo roar as they shifted from side to side. Timing their run became more and more crucial, as the Pearl leaned stronger and stronger to either side as she rocked. Mary was out of breath, now having to run uphill over deck without stumbling to reach the rail in time to grab it. When the ship nearly tipped over, she had to jump to catch the rail. One of the men from Singapore wasn't so lucky. He slipped, rolled down the deck and was thrown overboard. As they ran back this time, the ship shifted far enough to lift their feet up off the ground. Mary hung on for dear life, knowing that the ship would flip over now and letting go was no option if she wanted to life. Another of Sao Feng's men fell, losing his grip on the rail and falling down, caught by the rigging, only to be crushed by a cannon. Mary looked away, not wanting to see what the cannon would reveal when it went overboard. And then the Pearl crushed into the sea upside down, giving Mary just enough time to take a deep breath. The sun was shimmering above their heads as the sails pointed towards the bottom of the sea. Will lost his grip, but managed to hang onto the rigging. Mary wished she would be able to breath in deeply to calm down, but she couldn't. The more her lungs began to burn, the more she was reminded of being pulled down by the Kraken. Not long now and she would lose control, try to get to the surface in panic and desperate need for air. And then the water seemed to move. Light shone above the sails as the surface was suddenly underneath them. The ship began to shake as it was sucked towards the new surface and crashed out of the water, no longer upside down. Mary was thrown on deck, as the water retreated into the ocean. She coughed and gasped for air, lying flat on her back, soaked through, in pain, exhausted, but alive.

Next to her, Gibbs jumped to his feet. "Blessed sweet westerlies! We're back!"

Mary got up, still a little shaky and looked directly at the sun as it crawled up on the horizon.

"It's the sunrise", Elizabeth said in wonder.

Hector stepped to the rail, eyed the sun and smiled. And then he swirled around, his pistol drawn and pointing at Jack. Mary immediately drew her gun, also pointing it at Jack, thinking that he was trying to shoot Hector. However, he was only now drawing his firearm in reaction to Hector and so were Will, Elizabeth and Gibbs. Hector gave Elizabeth a look of reproach as she pointed her pistol at him. With Will, Jack and Gibbs, four pistols were now aiming at Hector. With Mary, the equal amount was aimed at Jack as everyone pulled a second pistol, with the exception of Mary who only ever carried one. Now she wasn't quite sure who to aim at, so she stuck with Jack, believing him to be the greatest threat to Hector.

It was Hector who started laughing, joined by the others as they slowly lowered their weapons. Mary didn't fall for that. She aimed at Jack's head, her finger caressing the trigger. And she had been right to do so as the laughing stopped and the pistols raised again.

"All right, then!", Hector commented as they held each other at gunpoint again. "The Brethren Court is gatherin' at Shipwreck Cove. And, Jack, you and I are goin'. There'll be no arguin' that point."

"I is arguing the point", Jack replied. "If there's pirates gathering, I'm pointing me ship the other way."

That made Elizabeth mad as she withdrew her second pistol from Hector to point it at Jack as well. "The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett, and you're a pirate."

Jack now aimed both at Elizabeth as well, but was forced to aim one at Will as he now also aimed both pistols at him. "Fight or not, you're not running, Jack."

Gibbs was no longer certain who to aim at and his pistols changed target randomly.

"If we don't stand together, they'll hunt us down one by one, till there be none left but you", Hector reminded him.

"Quite like the sound of that. Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate."

Hector glared at him, then took a step towards Jack, holding his pistol mere inches away from Jack's face. "And y'lle be fightin' Jones alone. How does that figure into yer plan?"

"I'm still working on that. But I will not be going back to the Locker, mate. Count on that." And with that he raised the pistol and pulled the trigger, aiming at Hector's head. A look of shock appeared on Hector's face at that, mixed with a hint of surprise and anger at Jack shooting him once again. Only the bullet had never left the gun. And as Mary pulled the trigger, her bullet didn't leave either. The pistols around her clicked, none firing. Then she rolled her eyes at their stupidity, hers included.

"Wet powder", Gibbs said aloud what Mary had just thought, causing everyone to give up their ambitions of shooting each other. Mary put her pistol away and made her way towards the Captain's cabin. In front of it, the map lay rolled up on a keg. She grabbed the map, unrolled it on a table as the others gathered around her. She studied it for a moment, trying to figure out their location.

"What are you doing?", Jack asked.

"Finding out where we are or do you happen to know?", Mary replied. Hector was helpful enough to provide her with a compass and send Ragetti to fetch more navigation tools. Once she had them, she found their location quickly. Pointing her finger at an island that wasn't far from them she said: "There's fresh water on this island. We can resupply there and get back to shooting each other later."

Jack contemplated her suggestion for a moment. "You lead the shore party", he told Hector. "I'll stay with my ship."

"I'll not be leaving my ship in yer command", Hector replied.

"We all know you would run for it if we left you in charge, Jack", Mary pointed out.

"And why would Hector stay?"

"Because he wants you to go to the Brethren Court and he would drag you there by your beard if he had to", Mary replied.

"Why don't you both go ashore and leave the ship in my command", Will suggested. "Temporarily."

"Our command", Mary corrected. "We had the trust discussion once before, aye?"

"I don't trust either of you", Jack protested.

"Everyone else does trust either Will or me or even both of us. Leaves you with no say in the matter", Mary argued.

Jack did try to continue their argument, but he found everyone else against him.

Hector adjusted their course and soon they reached the island. Mary stood beside Hector as he looked at the piece of land through his spyglass. She squinted her eyes, sure to have spotted something odd ashore. "May I?", she asked and pointed at the spyglass. Hector gave it to her and she looked through, following the shoreline until she found what she had barely been able to spot with the naked eye.

"What is it?", Hector asked.

Mary lowered the spyglass, her brow furrowed. "The Kraken, dead."

"Beckett." Hector spat out the name.

"Jones must have been here not long ago."

"All the more reason to get this done quickly", he said, took his spyglass back and made sure the crew hurried up with the preparations of the longboats.

Mary watched as they rowed to shore, arms crossed in front of her chest. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Will as he spoke to one of the Singapore men. Something wasn't quite right. Tension seemed to have crawled aboard the Pearl as Sao Feng's men shared odd glances, eyeing the handful of the original crew members as if they were waiting for something. Mary elbowed Elizabeth lightly. "Something is going on", she whispered.

Elizabeth got no chance to reply as someone shouted something in a language neither of them spoke. Weapons were drawn all around them. A sturdy pirate smacked the hilt of his sword into Gibbs' forehead, sending him to the ground as blood ran over his face from the laceration. Elizabeth tried to grab her sword, but someone pulled violently at her hair and kicked her in the hollow of her knee, forcing her to fall on said knee. Mary did get her sword out, lashing out at the nearest pirate trying to get at her. He jumped back to avoid her blade. Mary retreated until her back hit the mast and she was surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered.

"Give it up, girl", one of them shouted.

Mary grabbed her sword tighter. She would not hand the Pearl over to them without a fight. Behind the men, she could see Elizabeth and Gibbs being put in chains. She couldn't spot Will anywhere. Mary pulled out her pistol with her free hand, knowing that it wouldn't fire, so instead turning it in her hand to use it for smashing any head in that came near her. "Come on then!", she challenged them. The men exchanged looks at a loss what to do. One of them had no patience and charged right at her. She swung to the side, causing him to ran into the mast face first. Her sword cut through the air and into his back. He hit the deck with a thud. "Who's next?", Mary asked, taking a defensive position. Another charged her, hand axe raised, ready to smash down onto her. She blocked it with her sword and swung the pistol around, smacking it into the man's temple. If they kept coming at her one by one, she might even last a while. But they didn't do her that favour. Four of them came closer now, circling her, making it near impossible for her to cover all angles. "Brilliant", she muttered under her breath and made the equally brave and stupid choice to charge first. The element of surprise was on her side. She threw her weight into the pirate in front of her, knocking him over and stumbling passed him. For a brief moment she contemplated jumping over board and swimming to the island, but two things stopped her from doing that: Firstly, she could not abandon ship again. And secondly, Sao Feng had just climbed on deck, his ship laying anchor next to the Pearl. He had brought even more men with them. Men whose pistols and muskets would certainly fire as they pointed them at her. With gritted teeth and bristling with anger, Mary dropped her weapons and raised her hands next to her head. Then she saw stars, as someone smacked her hard against the side of the head. Warm blood dripped down her cheek as she dropped to the ground. When she had regained the ability to look straight, she was in shackles, tied next to Gibbs and Elizabeth as Sao Feng's men celebrated their victory. Mary had to blink blood out of her right eye, her gaze falling upon Hector as it cleared. He was climbing aboard, multiple pistols aimed his way. He looked up, a look of discontent on his face that was replaced by a worried glance as he saw her. Then he spotted Sao Feng and put on a stern facade. "Sao Feng!", he said loudly, his voice drowning the shouting of the crew. The pirate lord turned slowly as his crew went silent. Hector continued: "You showing up here, it is truly a remarkable coincidence."

While he was speaking, Jack came aboard and rushed to hide behind Hector's broad shoulders. Sao Feng had seen him, however, and tilted his head to one side. "Jack Sparrow."

Upon hearing his name, Jack dared to peek past Hector and eventually fully emerged.

"You paid me great insult once", Sao Feng said.

Jack looked confused. "That doesn't sound like me."

Sao Feng's fist flew up, hitting Jack's nose with an unhealthy crunching sound. Jack held his nose. "Shall we just call it square, then?", he asked with a pained smile.

"Release her!"

Mary looked up, seeing that Will had reappeared, unharmed and unshackled. He was pointing at Elizabeth. "She's not part of the bargain."

"And what bargain be that?", Hector asked.

Sao Feng turned to his men. "You heard Captain Turner. Release her."

"Captain Turner?", Jack repeated in disbelief.

"Aye, the perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us!", Gibbs spat out.

"I need the Pearl to free my father. That's the only reason I came on this voyage", Will explained, looking at the men around him in disgust.

Elizabeth stormed towards him. "Why didn't you tell me you were planning this?"

"It was my burden to bear."

"He needs the Pearl", Jack repeated. "Captain Turner needs the Pearl." He looked at Elizabeth. "And you felt guilty." He turned to Hector. "And you and your Brethren Court." Then he looked at Mary. "And your blind loyalty for him." He turned around. "Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?"

Mary's eyebrows shot up and she blinked in disbelief as Marty, Pintel, Ragetti and the monkey raised their hands. Jack smiled and pointed at them. "I'm standing over there with them." But Sao Feng grabbed him, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "I'm sorry, Jack, but there is an old friend who wants to see you first."

"I'm not certain I can survive any more visits from old friends", Jack replied and was dragged by Sao Feng to port. "Here's your chance to find out", Sao Feng announced as the pirates looked in disgust at the British man o'war that was approaching.


End file.
